To Have and to Hold
by GoingVintage
Summary: A baby she hadn't planned on. A husband she didn't even know. A life that neither of them wanted or expected. Can they do it at all, let alone together? Complete AU... Puck/Rachel as adults. NOW COMPLETE.
1. First Things

**Author's Note: At the end of "Unrequited", I was in such a rush to get it up that I forgot to say thank you to all my reviewers. I am absolutely falling in love with the this little (big?) community of Puckleberry die-hards. I feel like I am developing some great friendships out of it!**

**Before I start this chapter, I have to give a shout out to Katertots. "Burning Down the House" (with Noah Puckerman as an NYFD Firefighter - *swoon*), inspired me to go AU. I usually like to stick to canon but decided what the hell...as long as I stayed true to Rachel and Noah, I can take them anywhere! **

**Also, the idea for this story is inspired by a book by LaVyrle Spencer called "Seperate Beds." I read it when I was 14 and the idea of an unplanned pregnancy/forced marriage stuck with me so I took those two plot points and created this alternate universe.**

**So here we go...**.

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Rachel Berry – no, Rachel Puckerman – forced the bile back down her throat as she watched her new husband sign the remaining paperwork with the Justice of the Peace. In a few short minutes, she would leave with him and they would start a life together. The thought made her ill.

Dizzily, she found a seat in the back of the cold, brightly lit courtroom and sat down. Closing her eyes, she tried to steady herself against the wave of nausea that threatened to take her down, straight down onto the dingy tiled floor. Exhaling through her teeth, her stomach began to settle. Opening her eyes again, she couldn't believe that she was here in this courtroom…newly married to a man she didn't even know.

Rachel actually had a hard time believing every one of the events that had transpired over the past several days and she was the one unfortunate enough to be living them. But really, she had to go back farther than just a few days. She had to go back six weeks, in fact…

She had been home from college for the weekend. Bored, she dialed up one of her old high school friends, who promptly invited her to a frat party at the local university. She agreed to go because she was going insane staring at the gilded walls inside her Goliath childhood home. Once she got to the party, she set about the business of to letting go a bit. That in and of itself was a feat because Rachel was not one to rarely, if ever, relax. And then she let her hair down a little more anded ended up having entirely too much to drink. As she was getting another glass of fruity-flavored alcohol that went down _so_ smoothly, she noticed his dark, intense eyes raking up and down her body like he had settled on his target and was about to strike. The pursed poutiness of his lips, the allure of the guarded eyes, the sound of his deep voice – she was intoxicated. They exchanged numbers and made random small talk. But before she knew it, she was lying on a stranger's bed in a darkened bedroom and was writhing in ecstasy as he ran his lips over her naked body. Had she not had so much to drink, her mind might have screamed at her to wait, to stop, to get the _hell _out of there. She might have even reminded herself that her first time shouldn't be in a strange bed in an even stranger house with a dangerously unknown man. But the alcohol had done its job, having sufficiently muted her normally sharp mind into thinking that a one-night stand with a muscular, seductive stranger was the perfect way to cease her status as a virgin. The initial penetration hadn't hurt like she had expected. She felt a sharp stab as the thick, blunt head of his sex slid into her but the pain quickly subsided and was replaced by an intensity of sensation that her small, taut body had never before experienced. He brought them both to orgasm quickly, expertly even. Her body shook and she went completely limp as the pulsating subsided. Her head was still swimming in a euphoric afterglow when he slipped out of her, kissed her on the forehead, and disappeared back into the house. She didn't see him again for the rest of the night.

After she had sobered up the next day, she thought about calling him. However, the intelligent, pragmatic woman that she prided herself on being was quick to realize that she was merely a faceless lay to him and needed to remain that way. So even though she thought about that night often – it was her first time, after all – she tried her best to push it to the back of her mind and focus on her studies. She was in her senior year of college, studying music at Ohio State. Her dreams were calling her to New York and the Great White Way. And she was _so_ close. And then, five weeks later, that night came rushing back like an express train and bitch-slapped her right across the face. After she had thrown up seven times and scrutinized the calendar intently, trying to determine when she had her last period, she hurried to the drug store. Six pregnancy tests later, her horror was confirmed. Her one night stand had led to far more serious consequences than she ever could have imagined. She didn't say anything to anyone about it immediately. She didn't know what she would say, actually. She just needed time to think. But then the maid found the pregnancy tests in the bathroom and took them straight to Rachel's father, as she had been doing with any incriminating evidence she had discovered over the past 12 years that she had been in his employ.

Rachel's father had roared at her, calling her every insulting, demeaning name he could conjure up and even a few in Hebrew just for good measure. _She_ had a reputation to uphold. _He_ was a leader in this community whose foundation was rising amongst the city and state's elite crowd of millionaire donors. _They _were a highly-respected family. His daughter's bastard child would not stand. He wanted to know the man's name who had done this to her. Blindly, out of the fear she always felt and an absolute numbness to the reality that was facing her, she gave him the scrap of paper that had been slipped into her hand that drunken night.

Forty-five minutes later, the man arrived at their estate and was ushered into her father's oaken study. Two cigars and four glasses of brandy later, the study opened and Rachel was escorted in to face her judge, jury, executioner, and impregnator.

She met his eyes again for the first time at that moment. He looked frustrated, angry, pissed, worried. But the intensity, the smoky darkness of his gaze, was still very much intact.

Her father then informed her that the two of them would be married. Immediately. He refused to allow his daughter, whom he had raised to be a moral light in a dark world, to have a child out of wedlock. It was simply unacceptable and just because it was common in the 21st century did not, in any way, shape or form, mean that it was okay inside the Berry household. And the man – Noah Puckerman was his name – stood up and informed her that he would be damned if he was a deadbeat father. That shit didn't happen with him because his own father was a deadbeat and frankly, that was not the way he rolled. Marcus then informed Rachel that Noah was to receive a sizable sum of money to marry her, with the money to be wired into his bank account in the morning.

Two days after that horrible, devastating evening inside Marcus Berry's study, they were in Lima circuit court, exchanging vows and promising to love one another when they didn't even know one another. He was doing it for the money and to be around his child. She was doing it simply because her father told her she had to. That's the way it had been for her entire life. Marcus Berry told her how to live her life and his powerful hold on his daughter ensured that she did everything at his instruction. That one night at the college frat party – that had been her _one _night to rebel against her father. And even that had backfired.

Realizing that Noah, _her husband,_ was done signing the paperwork, Rachel pulled herself from her thoughts to stand as he approached.

"Ready?" was all he said, without ever meeting her eyes.

She nodded. He stepped toward the door and she followed him out into the sunlight, ready to start a life with a man she didn't know, a baby she wasn't sure she wanted, and an overbearing father whose reputation mattered far more to him than his vulnerable daughter's own happiness.

What a way to spend her 21st birthday.

They drove in silence. She was staring out the window and he was focusing intently on driving. He would love to have said something but really, what would he even say? "Sorry I knocked you up but thank your dad for the buckets of money he threw at me? Hope we don't kill each other, wifey?" He knew nothing about this girl, other than the fact that she had brown hair, big brown eyes, a small, impossibly tight and sexy body, appeared to be very intelligent, and was a willing sex partner. Not a lot of foundation to start a relationship, let alone a marriage.

In a different situation, he could have contested the paternity. But no, not _this _time. He had felt the barrier when he had first slipped himself inside the tight, intense heat of her body. He had even weighed the merits of continuing at that point because he didn't _do_ virgins. But when she moaned hotly into his ear, begging him to fuck her, lust won out over any moral objections that he may have been harboring and he pushed inside her to the hilt. It was over all too quickly, that's for sure. He disappeared into the night and even forgot about her for a few days. When he was emptying his pants pockets to do laundry a few days later, he found her number. He even toyed with calling her to see if she was up for a repeat but didn't. Virgins came with a lot of emotional baggage, he recalled. So he threw her number down on his nightstand and it remained there, even now.

But now she was his wife. And that thought wasn't too enticing. However, this new wife of his was carrying his child and _that_ meant everything in the world to him. No, Noah Puckerman did not have a spotless record. On the contrary. He slept with too many women, swore entirely too much, drank a lot. In short, he was no angel. That made him like his father in every way except for one – he _wouldn't_ leave. If he was responsible for helping to create a child, even if it was in the most fucked-up of situations, he was going to be _right there. _His father may have disappeared when his sister was little but he wasn't going _anywhere_. He would have preferred not to marry this girl, of course. But that's where the money came in. And money would go a long way in his meager existence. His mother's house was falling apart and he could finally afford to fix it up for her. His sister needed braces and he could get those, too. Thanks to one unprotected fuck, the world had just opened up considerably for the entire Puckerman family. Marcus Berry was so respected and feared in Lima that the man often threw money at problems to make them disappear. Noah thought it was shitty that Marcus would treat his own daughter as a pawn. But Marcus' reputation preceded him and Noah could tell that every word of it was true.

He would make the best of this. He _had_ to.

She would make the best of this. Her life _depended_ on it.

As they drove towards their new home that day in profound silence, both wondered if they would be able to make the best of it _together._

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_**Like? Hate? Lemme know...**

**Review please!**_  
_


	2. Moving In

**A/N: I was floored by the number of comments/alerts I got just for the first chapter. Thank you! I'm so excited about this story, even though I'm afraid it's going to be ****epically**** long. Can't wait to write me some Puckleberry smut, though. Got all my Mark Salling pictures ready to use as inspiration.**

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Noah Puckerman, or "Puck" as was his preferred moniker, whistled through his teeth as he slowed the car.

"Are you sure this is the address?" he asked Rachel, speaking to her for the first time since they left the courthouse a half-hour earlier.

She glanced down at the piece of paper in her lap and then back up at the house. "Yes, this is definitely it."

"Fuck….." was his response as he pulled the car into the driveway. Both unbuckled their belts and got out. "So this is where we get to live?"

Puck stood in the driveway, studying his surroundings. The house, a Cape Cod-style bungalow, sat on two wooded acres at the back of a dead-end street. Farther up the driveway, near the backyard, sat a three-car garage. He whistled again, suddenly thinking that this one-night stand was turning out to have more benefits than he had originally anticipated.

Turning back toward Rachel, who was standing silently next to the car, he questioned, "So your dad is just giving us this place? How is that even fucking possible?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "This is one of his many rental properties. This one happened to be vacant and since we….got married….he insisted we take this house."

"So, like…we don't have to pay rent and shit?"

Rachel winced. His mouth was exceptionally fouler than anything to which she was accustomed. She would have to talk to him about that once they were more comfortable with each other.

"We will need to pay utilities, of course, but no, we don't have to pay rent. Daddy owns the house free and clear and said it's ours if we want it."

Puck was nearly bug-eyed. This was amazing. He hadn't really thought about where they would live but this…._this_ was nuts. "So….can we go check out the inside?"

She smiled and dangled the keys toward him. He walked over, jerked them from between her fingers, smirked at her, and headed up onto the porch. Unlocking the door, he pushed it open and stepped in, the heavy footsteps of his boots echoing against the polished wood flooring. To his left was a staircase that led to the upper level. Straight ahead of him, the foyer turned into a hallway with doors off to both the right and the left. To his left side was the open archway into the plushly carpeted living room.

"This place is fantastic," he said to himself as he wandered into the living room and then into the kitchen. Walking through the well-appointed kitchen, he crossed the hallway and stepped into what was obviously the master bedroom. The room was actually larger than Puck's entire shitty apartment. Walking back out of that room, he headed around the stairs and into the smaller bedroom at the front of the house. Rachel stood silently as he toured the house. She would take a private tour later. Right now, she was rooted to her spot just inside the foyer, far too unnerved to move.

Puck disappeared upstairs and came back down a few minutes later. As his strong thighs carried him down the steps, he said, "I'll take the bedroom upstairs. You can have the master bedroom since it has a bathroom and you'll probably need it."

Rachel eyed him curiously. Since they were married, even if it was farcical, she had expected them to share the master bedroom. Actually, she had expected him to insist on it and had already begun mentally preparing herself for the fight that would result.

"So, when are we moving in?"

"A moving truck will be here with my things and with furniture within the hour," Rachel explained.

Puck handed her the keys back. "Well, looks like I need to go start packing up my shit. I'll get my buddy Finn's truck and I'll be back later tonight with my stuff."

She nodded and watched him open the door and head outside. She followed him out onto the covered porch.

"Noah?" she questioned to his back.

He turned and looked back at her.

"Can we….can we talk tonight? I mean, have a discussion. I don't actually know anything about you…."

He nodded. "Yeah, we probably need to get our shit straight before I introduce you to my mother. She's going to have my head that I didn't tell her about this whole fucked up mess. But when I tell her about the baby, she'll shut up her bitching. She is all about babies…."

Rachel nodded her head slightly and nearly smiled at him. "Great… Well, call me before you come back and I'll have some food delivered. Then we can eat and talk over dinner."

"Sure," he said noncommittally as he hopped into his car and began to back out of the driveway.

She watched him disappear back down the way they had come before silently stepping back inside and closing the door.

Leaning against the banister, she dropped her head into her hands. "I can't believe my life has come to this," she said out loud.

She finally worked up the energy to move, having felt so weak all day. Rachel wandered around her new house for a while and couldn't help but welcome the openness of the design. It wasn't a large house by any means and after growing in a house similar to a museum, she was appreciative of its lack of imposing columns, built-in bookcases, and massive works of art. This house had potential, real potential, to be a home.

Rachel grazed her fingertips along the smooth, cool walls as she walked from room to room. She made a mental note to ask Noah if the room next to the master bedroom would work as a nursery. As the thought went through her mind, she almost felt dizzy again. It was positively surreal to be thinking about asking her _husband _about baby-related things. _God, what a mess. _

Lost in thought, Rachel only heard the moving truck outside when the movers jerked open the large door. She quickly opened the door and went outside to greet them. They worked briskly, offloading all her personal belongings and furniture for the living room, bedrooms, and dining room. She was happy to see the house become so welcoming so fast. Tomorrow, she would go buy drapes, plates, pans, and other needed items and decorate further. Monday, she had to begin classes at the Lima branch of OSU, where she just transferred since living in Columbus obviously wasn't feasible anymore. Her chest felt tight at the thought of leaving campus life and that active arts program. Only four months from graduation, she was merely finishing up her straggling credits at this point, though. It was for the best, even if it was a painful move. But in reality, what about her life lately _wasn't_ painful?

The movers were gone two hours after they arrived, leaving Rachel to a house full of furniture and boxes that needed to be unpacked. She was in the master bedroom, loading clothes onto the rods in her closet, when her phone rang.

Answering it, Noah barked into her ear, "I'm going to be back over there in just a few minutes."

"Okay…what do you want to eat? I'll get something ordered."

"Do you like pizza?"

"Of course," she said, annoyed.

"Well, how the fuck am I supposed to know? Anyway, just order pizza. I want mine with mushrooms and pepperoni."

"Okay. I'll take care of it. See you in a bit."

She closed her phone and made another mental note: _He was a jerk when he was in a bad mood. _She dug out the number to the nearest pizza place and called in the order. Her stomach did somersaults at the knowledge that Noah would be arriving soon and she would have to spend the night in her - _their _– house. Alone.

An unfamiliar truck, followed by Noah's car, pulled into the driveway just as Rachel was walking empty boxes out to the garage. Noah hopped out of his car and a much taller man got out of the truck. Rachel stood near the house, not saying anything, until she saw the tall man staring at her quizzically. Finally she approached him and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry….err…Puckerman. I'm Noah's….whatever."

He laughed, her discomfort obvious, and his smile instantly put her at ease. Sticking out his hand, he said, "I'm Finn Hudson, Puck's best friend and the only person on the planet who has no time for his bullshit."

Puck walked up at that moment, his brow furrowed. "Hate to break up the howdys here but can we get this shit inside? It's getting dark and I'm fucking starved."

Rachel went back into the house and the men began bringing Puck's belongings inside. Finn looked around the house and yelled out the door to Puck, "This is a nice house, man! Like, really nice."

"I told you," Puck yelled back. "Did you see the garage? We can totally work on one of our projects back there."

Rachel, listening from the living room, wondered what type of "project" that they had. There was just so much she didn't know. Actually, there wasn't anything she actually _did _know other than his name and the fact that he was knee-weakening handsome. For the countless time that day, she wondered what in the world had happened to her life.

The pizza guy arrived just as Puck and Finn were finishing unloading. Rachel paid the delivery man and was walking toward the house when she heard Puck say, "I'd tell you to stay but the "little woman" and I are going to have a chat. I don't know shit about her other than the fact that she's loaded and fertile." Rachel's face went red. _What a creep…._

Finn came inside and shook Rachel's hand again. "It was nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other now."

She bid him goodbye and Puck came inside, closing the door.

"Finn's a really nice guy," Rachel said.

Puck sat down at the dining room table, silently wondering how they got such a huge fucking table in through the door, and nodded at her. "Yep. Known the douche since we were in kindergarten. We've been through a lot of shit together."

Rachel dug out some paper towels. "We don't have any plates yet so this will have to do for now."

"No problem. I'm hungry, I don't care if I eat off the floor." He flipped the pizza box tops up and dug in. Rachel sat, watching him.

He cocked his eyebrow at her and, with his mouth completely full, asked her, "You gonna eat?"

Pulling herself out of her trance, she sat up and grabbed a piece of her own. She really wasn't that hungry but she knew she needed to eat for the…baby. Every time the word entered her brain, she felt a burning in her chest that she was unable to identify. The idea that there was a tiny human growing inside her was utterly mind-boggling.

After his second piece of pizza, Puck finally felt satisfied enough to start talking to the woman sitting quietly across the table from him.

He folded his hands behind his head and cracked his knuckles, causing Rachel to cringe. "So what do you want to know about me?"

Rachel sat upright in her chair. "Anything you want to tell me."

Puck thought for a moment. "Um….I've lived in Lima all my life. I have a mother and a 13-year-old sister. Somewhere in the world is my asshole father but I couldn't tell you where. "

Rachel waited for him to speak again. She needed more than just that. Finally, she motioned with her hand to keep talking and he continued. "Uh….I work in at an auto-body repair shop that specializes in the restoration of antique vehicles. I'm attending OSU-Lima to finish up my degree in business. Then I just may buy the fuckin' place and expand our business."

_So he has ambition. That's one good thing. _

"Now your turn," he said, snagging another piece of pizza and shoveling it in his mouth.

"Well, I was attending OSU in Columbus but am transferring here. I'm a music major and will graduate this year. I hope…well, I had hoped to sing on Broadway but now…." She looked down. Realizing that now was not the time to break down over broken dreams, she composed herself. "You've met my father so you realize what I'm dealing with in that regard. My mother died when I was very young so it's just been the two of us." She had a pained look on her face, which he could understand.

"So you like music?"

Her face lit up. "I adore it. Singing is my passion."

Puck leaned back in his chair, stretching his muscular legs out in front of him. "Me too. I play guitar and sing. Finn and I are actually in a band. We play the local clubs and parties and stuff."

"That's…that's really great!" She was enthusiastic to find out that they had a common interest, especially one that was supremely important to Rachel.

"So…any girlfriends?" She asked, even though it was strangely awkward to ask her husband if he had a girlfriend.

Puck snorted. "I'm not the relationshippy type." Realizing that he was saying those things to his wife, he paused and made a wincing face. Rachel laughed for the first time all day.

"Well, I obviously wasn't either," she said shyly, thinking about the whole virginity thing.

They were silent for a long time. Rachel really didn't know what to say. She wished she weren't so very unnerved.

Puck stared at her intently, watching her eyes shift around the room and focus on anything but him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure….anything."

"Why…why didn't you just have an abortion? I mean, then your dirty little secret never would have been found out and…."

"…we wouldn't be in this mess now?" she finished for him.

"Exactly," he said quietly.

Rachel looked at her pizza crust sitting on a paper towel. "While I'm supportive of a woman's right to choose, I just couldn't….couldn't do it myself. And Daddy is vehemently against it, of course, so he never even brought it up. I have heard my entire life about how the Berry family is a "moral stalwart" in the town of Lima. The idea of his daughter walking into Planned Parenthood was, I think, even more horrifying than the idea of my unplanned pregnancy. I know that would have been the easier thing to do, for both of us." She looked up with watery eyes and met his unsettled ones. "I'm….I'm sorry about this."

"Don't be. What's done is done. Believe it or not, I understand. I mean, I guess I have to!"

They sat in utter quiet for a few minutes, neither sure of what to say next.

Finally, Puck blurted, "How the hell are we going to make this work? I mean really, this is fucking insane. If your dad hadn't thrown all that money my way…." He let his words trail off.

Rachel shook her head. "I don't know, Noah. This is just as difficult for me. But I'm going to try. I won't put any rules on you or make you answer to me or anything…"

He interrupted her. "Well, that's good to know. I mean, I won't be told what to do or when to come home or any of that shit. I have a mother already."

Rachel frowned at his course tone, unsure of how to take his attitude. "Well, we will have to learn to compromise about certain things. We _do _have to find a way to get along. And hopefully build a friendship for the sake of…the baby."

It was time they broached the subject of the baby – the entire reason for their marriage – to one another.

"So you're, what…." he said, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to recall the night of the party, "…like six weeks along?"

She bobbed her head in response.

"Well, I'd like to go to doctor's appointments and stuff with you. I intend to be involved."

"That…that would be fine. I will make you a schedule of the appointments so that you can arrange your schedule accordingly."

"Sweet." Puck pushed himself up from the table. His eyes traveled over her face and settled on her lips. She was _really_ hot.

Rachel looked to the floor, uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. It reminded her too much of the night at the party.

Puck cleared his throat, causing Rachel to look up at him again. "I'm going to get showered. Then I'll hook up the TV and all that crap."

"Okay. I think I may turn in. I'm really exhausted."

"Sure…I don't doubt that you are. I took off work tomorrow so I'll be around."

She headed out of the dining room. Turning to him, she said, "Well…goodnight, Noah."

He studied her for a moment. His gazes, which always seemed to be long and full of unspoken analysis, made her uncomfortable. "Goodnight, Rachel. "

As he watched her walked away, appreciating the curves of her ass in her pants, one concerning, horrible thought occurred to him: How was he going to get laid now? Did he keep a woman on the side since their marriage was purely "convenience" or was she planning on letting him in her bed?

"Rachel, wait," came out of his mouth before he even realized that he had spoken.

She turned, exhaustion written on her face.

"We have one more thing we need to talk about….."

She stood and waited.

"Look, we need to decide what we're going to do about dating and….sex."

Her eyes grew huge. "What?" Redness rushed into her cheeks and down her chest.

"Don't look at me like I'm a pervert. This sham of a marriage is just that – a marriage on a piece of paper _only. _I've always been an…active guy. I don't plan on being celibate now."

Rachel opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. What in the world would she say?

Puck stepped toward her, his imposing frame causing her to shrink back slightly. "Look, unless you are planning on warming my bed regularly, I'm going to have to make alternative plans." He watched anger play across her face. "Don't get me wrong," he continued, "nothing would please me more than tapping that fine ass of yours again...and again." He was standing very close to her now, so close that she could feel the warmth emanating from his body. Bending closer to her, he lowered his lips close to her ear as his hand slid up and cupped her breast through her thin shirt. "If you want to fuck, you know where I am."

Rachel shoved his hand away, ignoring the sparks that coursed straight from where his hand had made contact all the way down her abdomen to rest in her lower belly. "Cease your manhandling, you brute! How dare you.... You....pig!" She sputtered.

Puck laughed, a deep seductive sound that barely left his chest. "Oh don't play that ice queen bullshit with me now. It's a little late for that, considering that's my kid in your belly."

Rachel's eyes were flaming. She was tempted, so tempted, to take his ass _down_. But considering he out-weighted her by probably 80 pounds of what appeared to be nearly solid muscle, there was little she could do but glare. "I will be participating in absolutely no acts of debauchery with the likes of you," she spat.

"Well, that's your choice to live like a nun. But I will continue to live my life the way I did prior to you spreading your legs for me at that party."

She roared and stomped her foot. "Goodnight, you asshole!" Spinning on her heel, she headed toward her bedroom. She heard his voice call after her, "If you change your mind, let me know!"

Storming into the bedroom, she slammed the door so hard that the walls shook. In the living room, Puck chuckled. _Fucking with her is fun. _He smirked to himself. _But fucking her again would be so much more fun._


	3. Introductions

**A/N: I forgot to put a disclaimer earlier. Ya'll know that I don't own any of this…. Thank you for the comments! I try to answer a smattering of the ones I get after each chapter. I need to be one of those awesome writers who thanks EVERY single person and I am hoping to get there eventually. I just get continually interrupted most of the time! **

**Katertots – thanks for reading the part of this I sent you last night! I didn't change that part very much.**

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Pulling out of his mother's driveway that Saturday morning, Puck was pretty sure his ears were bleeding due to the intensity of the bitching he had just been subjected to once he told her that not only had he gotten some strange chick pregnant but that he had also married her. His mother's screeching only ratcheted down about a decibel after he showed her his bank account balance, which he thought was pretty fucking sweet. Needless to say, his mother was pissed. He didn't think she had been this pissed since he wrecked her car when he was 17. After berating him for a solid hour and even insulting his sperm (_what the hell?_) he excused himself and got the fuck out of there before he ended up strangling her with the water hose. She let him know that she was going to be over to his new house in EXACTLY ONE HOUR to meet the little harlot that he impregnated. He definitely wanted to warn Rachel. He may not even know the girl, let alone like her, but she deserved to be warned because his mother could be a fire-breathing dragon that flew by broomstick. He loved his mother but that didn't mean that she didn't scare him shitless.

He pulled back into his driveway (he still couldn't get over the fact that he even had a driveway) and hurriedly ran into the house. He almost yelled out "Honey, I'm home!" but didn't want to piss her off before he had even seen her face this morning. After their little exchange before bed the previous evening, she was more apt to kick him in the balls then throw herself into his arms. Even still, he couldn't help but chuckle at how angry he had made her. He didn't see what the big was, really. She _was _already pregnant. Talk about the perfect set-up: have his sex partner living in the same house AND she couldn't get pregnant. Maybe he would try to reason with her again in a few days…

He tromped through the lower level of the house, trying to find Rachel. Just when he was about to go check in the backyard, he heard humming coming from her closet. He walked into the bedroom and nudged the door open. She looked up when she noticed the door move slightly.

"Why are you sitting in your closet?" His voice indicated that, at that moment, he thought she was "special."

She screwed up her face in annoyance. "I'm folding socks, obviously."

"That brings up another question: why are you folding your socks?"

She pushed herself up off the floor and bent down to grab her stack of freshly folded socks. "Do you not fold your socks?"

He gave her a crooked smile. "Nope, just throw 'em in a drawer."

"Well, I prefer to be neat and organized."

She opened up her dresser drawer and he whistled. There were rows and rows of panties, neatly folded and sorted by color. He met her eyes, questioning her curiously. "You're really anal, aren't you?"

"Not anal, organized!" she snapped.

He leaned against her dresser. "Whatever. Look…I'm here to warn you that my mom is going to be here in like forty-fucking-five minutes and you may want to prepare yourself. Mom is on the warpath."

Rachel's stomach dropped. "Why is she coming?"

Puck crossed his arms. "Well, she just found out that her angelic her baby boy…that would be _me_," he pointed to himself for added emphasis, "knocked you up and _then_ married you. I think she thinks that I've been bewitched or some shit. And she's one scary lady so I just want you to say you were warned."

Rachel began pulling out something to wear. "I seriously doubt that she's that horrible, Noah."

Puck snorted. "Uh huh. The woman is evil. I love her because she gave birth to me. Otherwise, I'd probably hit her with my car."

Rachel laughed and looked him in the eye skeptically. He was grinning and she couldn't help but notice how very handsome he was when he smiled (not that he was ugly when he didn't smile!)

"Thank you for warning me, Noah, but I firmly believe that I will have no problem relating to her. I am often able to develop strong rapport with even the most difficult of people simply because I take the time to get to know them."

Rolling his eyes, Puck said, "You think that now…but wait 'til she walks in the door and lays into you for seducing me."

Eyes wide, she yelled, "I didn't seduce you!"

He put his hands up to show her that he meant peace. "I didn't say you did. I'm saying that SHE will say you did…." He thought for a moment. "Back in high school, I dated this chick named Santana. Well, Mom hated her…like wanted her to die hated her. Sure, she did walk in on us fucking on her bed but she hated her before that. Anyway, Mom referred to her as the "Bitchy Skanky She-Devil Whore" – TO HER FACE. REPEATEDLY. Mom made Santana cry, which is a fascinating feat considering Santana eats nails and beats puppies."

Sighing, Rachel said, "I'm sure she's not that bad. Now would you get out of my room so that I can change clothes?"

He sat down on her bed. With a raised eyebrow, he said, "I'm good…go ahead."

"Noah Puckerman. GET. OUT!" She pointed to the door, shaking her finger for emphasis.

He stood and strode from the room, muttering, "fine…."

Approximately a half hour later, Rachel was still in her room, fixing her hair and trying to stop her hands from shaking. As she was deciding on whether to pull her hair up or leave it down (she had already tried both looks twice), she heard the doorbell ring.

"She's heeeeeeere," Noah called out in a singsong voice, like he was announcing the arrival of The Poltergeist.

Rachel took a deep breath and closed her eyes, giving herself a mental pep talk. She heard Noah open the door and begin talking in a low voice to his mother. Opening her eyes again, she surveyed her appearance. Her brown eyes were bright, her makeup impeccably done.

_It's now or never, Berry…err…Puckerman._

Rachel stepped out into the hallway and walked toward the voices in the foyer. The moment she stepped into the entryway, talking ceased.

Noah's mother was tall and thin with dark brown hair. Rachel could see where he had inherited his intense eyes.

"Is this her?" His mother asked him in a voice that sounded accusing to Rachel.

"Yep…don't see any other chicks I knocked up standing around."

His mother turned and glared at him. Her son was such a louse, sometimes.

Rachel wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Or perhaps shrink into the floor. Anything to get her the hell out of this present situation.

The woman stepped closer, scrutinizing Rachel without saying a word. Finally, Rachel could stand it no more. Stepping forward, she turned on the charm. "Hello, I'm Rachel. I've heard fabulous things about you."

The woman said nothing at first and then proceeded to burst out laughing. "You're lying, honey. I know for a fact that my son never says anything nice about me. But that's okay…. " Stepping forward, she took Rachel's hand in hers and said, "You're very cute and petite. And honey…are you Jewish?"

Rachel nodded in the affirmative. Noah's mother threw her hands up and said something in Hebrew. Then she grabbed Rachel's head between her hands, squishing Rachel's cheeks up so that she looked like a fish in the process. Rachel was pretty sure that this was where her head would be snapped clean from her body. Instead, the woman said, "Welcome to the family…. My name is Miriam. I am so happy to meet you."

Rachel looked at Noah out of the corner of her eyes. He was standing as still as stone, his mouth hanging open in shock. Miriam followed her gaze over to her son and laughed. "He thinks I'm going to kill you."

Rachel said meekly, "Are you?"

Miriam giggled again. "You are very cute, Rachel Puckerman. Now, show me where _my_ grandbaby will be sleeping!"

Rachel led her to the empty room that had been designated as the nursery. As they stepped inside the doorway, she heard Noah mutter "what the fuck?" under his breath. She couldn't help but smile.

Soon, Rachel was giving Miriam a tour of the entire house. Noah still stood in the foyer, almost convinced that a camera crew was going to jump out and yell "gotcha" at any moment. His mother chooses _this _woman…the woman he knocked up at a party, to like? _What the fuck?_

A few minutes passed before the women reappeared. Rachel was smiling a genuine, bright smile that Puck had never seen in all of their married life (24 whole hours.) Miriam stepped up to her son and rambled quickly in one breath, "Rachel and I are going shopping and then we're going to pick up her car at her father's house so we'll be back later be good honey love you bye." Rachel snagged her purse from the table by the door, waggled her fingers at Puck as a goodbye, and followed her mother-in-law out. As Puck watched them leave, he had one thought: _I need a beer._

* * *

Driving back home after her long day out with Miriam, Rachel was smiling. Really smiling. She had finally found a reason to be excited about this "marriage." She actually had a mother figure around now! Rachel's own mother died of cancer when Rachel was four so she had always been denied the nurturing, maternal touch. And despite Noah's insane warnings that his mother was a snake, Rachel found her to be delightful and sweet. Spending the day with her had given her some private insight into the man that was her husband. It had somehow made her seem him as less course, much more intelligent, and a better human being than she had believed him to be when she woke up this morning.

It was dusk outside when Rachel pulled into the driveway. She was happy to finally have her car at the house…and she was even happier to have a trunk and backseat full of new items to help in her quest of making the house a home. Shopping was _so_ therapeutic. Miriam had insisted they buy an adorable little yellow onesie with a duck on it, even though Rachel was barely six-weeks pregnant. That meant that Rachel now owned her very first baby item. And Rachel was the first to admit that the idea both thrilled and terrified her. That little yellow onesie made EVERYTHING that much more real.

Puck saw Rachel pull up through the open blinds of the living room and muttered _fuck me_ when she hopped out of a Lexus sedan. Leave it to him to marry a woman who owned a Lexus. It made is Ford, even thought it was a Mustang, look like shit.

When Rachel pushed through the door, loaded down with bags and boxes, she was surprised to see four men sitting in her living room, with their feet propped up on her new coffee table, drinking beer and eating popcorn on her new couch.

Noah raised a beer to her in acknowledgement and Finn smiled from the couch. The other two men ogled her to the point where she saw Puck shoot them both a warning glance. Puck motioned for her to come in the living room. Once she was standing by his side, he used beer to say, "You already know Finn. This fuckhead," he said, motioning to the shorter blond man, "is Jimmy, and this one," he pointed to the tall African-American guy, "is Robb."

"N…Nice to meet you," Rachel stuttered.

"Boys…this is my wife," Puck said, trying the word on for size.

All four men then started laughing. Rachel glared. Robb stepped forward and explained, "Sorry. We're just kinda…shocked. Puck is… well… Puck is Puck and the idea of him married is…"

Rachel cut him off. "I get it, believe me." She turned toward the kitchen and then looked back at the four men on the couch. "I'm fixing stir fry for dinner. You gentlemen are welcome to stay if you'd like." The three guests agreed happily and for the first time, Puck thought that she was actually pretty cool.

While Rachel cooked, she listened to murmur of the deep male voices coming from the adjoining living room. They were discussing cars, and then some television show that they all thought was lame, and then they discussed music. But mostly, they just made wise cracks at each other's expense. She rolled her eyes nearly a dozen times during the course of cooking because they were all so juvenile. But they were also entertaining.

Rachel called the men to dinner when it was ready. They all took a seat around the "fucking huge table" (Puck's words, obviously) and dug in. In between grunts of "dude, pass me more rice", the men began engaging Rachel in conversation.

"So, Rachel," began Finn, grabbing a huge fork full of green pepper, "Puck tells me that you like music?"

"Oh, absolutely. I'm a singer…I love to sing."

"That's really awesome. Did Puck tell you that he and I were in Glee club together in high school?"

Rachel sputtered, nearly dropping the chicken right off her fork. She looked over at Puck and he just shrugged his shoulders. "You were in show choir?"

"We had a great time," said Finn. "We weren't very good but we did it anyway."

"I was in show choir, as well. Of course, I went to a high school for the performing arts so the show choir was massive. Those were great times," Rachel sighed happily.

"Well, since we weren't total losers, we also played football, basketball, and baseball." Puck interjected, suddenly feeling the need to defend his manhood.

"I can believe that," Rachel said.

"Why ya say that?" Puck questioned, leaning forward.

What Rachel had been thinking was, "Because your physique screams "athlete" and I imagine you still are." What she _actually_ said was, "You kind of look like a meathead."

Robb, Finn, and Jimmy all looked at Rachel, mouths agape. Then they turned their heads to Puck in unison and burst out laughing. Puck leaned back in his chair, his trademark smirk intact. Rachel giggled into her plate. She was actually having fun.

The food was obliterated in record time and soon the guys were all bidding her goodbye. Puck walked outside with them while Rachel stayed in and finished up the dishes.

"Dude, she is really great," Jimmy stated as he walked toward his car parked along the street.

"Seriously, you could do much worse," Robb added. "She's actually pretty hot."

"I know, guys…I am very aware of what she looks like."

"I'm just saying, you need to get to know that girl. She is F-I-N-E," Jimmy felt the need to spell it out for reiteration.

"And she's just a nice woman," Finn added, ever the sensitive one.

"Guys…. I got it! She and I have go to get to know one another yet but I'm glad that you all like her. She was pretty cool today, that's for sure. Now get the fuck off my property," he said with a smile.

They all waved their goodbyes and as the last taillights were disappearing into the dark, Puck made his way back into the house. Rachel was humming softly to herself as she loaded the dishwasher. Feeling his presence behind her, she turned and said, "I like your friends."

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the kitchen island. "They liked you, too."

Rachel grinned, that thought hitting home.

"And I LOVE your mother. She is amazing, Noah. She's simply amazing."

"Well, I have no idea how the hell that happened. I was sure that woman would make you cry before the day was out. But hell, I'm glad she found someone who can stand her old ass."

Rachel casually punched Puck on the arm. "That's not a nice thing to say about your mother."

He gently punched her back, his knuckles barely brushing her arm, and said, "Just wait. I'll share more stories about her. You'll eventually start watching your back."

They both stood silently for a few moments, neither really sure what to say or even what to do next. Finally, Puck looked at her and said, "You were really cool tonight with inviting the guys for dinner and cooking for us. Thank you."

"Don't get comfortable with the idea of me cooking. I'm not some little Suzy Homemaker who will be a servant to her husband," Rachel barked.

Puck looked her dead in the eye. "You sure know how to ruin a tender moment, don't you?"

Rachel reddened, realizing that her tone had been anything but appreciative. "I'm…. How about I say, "you're welcome" instead?"

"That would be better. I don't expect you to be my "little woman" but if you're willing to cook, I am willing to eat. And guess what? I may just cook too."

"Well I look forward to trying one of your creations," she said as she put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, closed it, and turned it on.

"Prepare to be blown away, baby. I am _as _good on the stove as I am in the bedroom."

_Why does he have to reference sex every single time we're alone?_ It made Rachel both uncomfortable and strangely intrigued. Despite the fact that she was now a pregnant, married woman, she still was exceptionally inexperienced, considering her one sexual encounter had led to her present life.

Deciding she didn't want to fight with him, she let his comment go. She was tired and was still coming off the high of such a good day.

"Hey, it's kinda early yet. You wanna go watch some TV or something?"

Rachel nodded. "That would be lovely."

She followed him into the living room, noticing the way his jeans molded to his strong thighs. He really was a beautiful specimen….

She sat down on the couch and Puck disappeared for a moment, returning with a big throw blanket. He tossed it to her, sat down beside her, grabbed the approximately 12 remotes that went with all of his entertainment-related contraptions, and slid closer to her.

"Mind if I have some blanket?" He asked nervously (which completely pissed him off since he was never nervous about anything.)

Rachel raised the blanket, indicating for him to scoot closer. Once he was, she threw it over him and they settled in. And that's how they spent the next two hours: sitting close together on the couch, warmed by an old throw, laughing at old sitcom reruns.

Once it was finally late enough for bed, Rachel stood and stretched. Puck turned off the television, then the lights, and they both headed towards the hallway. For some inexplicable reason, Puck found himself walking beside Rachel on the way to her room. She stopped at the door and turned to meet his eyes. "I had a good day today, Noah."

"Me too, Rachel. Again, thanks for the whole "guys for dinner" thing."

"You're welcome. They can come over anytime." Rachel stood awkwardly. Well, goodnight, Noah."

She started to step into her room but Puck said, "Rachel, wait."

"Yes?"

He stepped close to her and before she knew it, he gently bent down, his tall frame leaning into her much smaller one, and kissed her. It wasn't a seductive kiss or even a hot kiss. It was gentle, sweet, full of gratitude - and over far-too soon for Rachel's liking.

"Night," he whispered as he pulled away. She watched him walk down the hall toward the stairs, her lips still burning from the feel of his. A multitude of emotions swept through her body as he disappeared from her view and she stepped into her room. Turning off the lights, she slipped out of her clothing and into her nightgown. As she burrowed under the covers, she couldn't help but think that it had been one splendid day.


	4. Blow Up

**A/N: Gotta thank Katertots again for reminding me that pregnant women can be nuts and that helps this chapter out A LOT! And this chapter is only coming out so soon because I came home early from work today and wrote this entire chapter in three hours. Otherwise, there is no way all this would already be done! Don't expect double updates from me often. This story is both creatively and emotionally more challenging than my other stories were and it's a lot harder to pump chapters out. I'm feeling angsty today, which is why this particular chapter was so easy….**

* * *

At the start of Rachel's sixth week of pregnancy, she realized that she was dodging a bullet because she hadn't yet experienced even the slightest hint of morning sickness. The Monday morning following her marriage to Noah and the start of her seventh week of pregnancy, that bullet finally hit Rachel right in the stomach. As soon as she woke up that morning, she rushed to the bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach. And then she emptied her already empty stomach again. As she slid to the floor, enjoying the cold feeling of the tile against her body, she wasn't sure how she was going to endure the day ahead. The bulk of her classes met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She would be on campus from morning to early afternoon those days. Always ambitious, and perhaps overly so, she quickly realized the error of scheduling an 8am class as she lay next to the toilet, deciding that the floor was the best place for her to be. She waited for 10 additional minutes to make sure she was sufficiently puked-out. Ever the driven student, she then stood up and dragged herself to her closet to get ready for school, while all the while just wanting to go back to bed.

Puck was already at work by the time Rachel stirred on Monday morning. First thing upon his arrival, he sheepishly changed his tax filing status with the payroll girl from "single" to "married." She glared at him as he turned the paper back in. (He knew the look _might possibly_ have had something to do with the fact that he'd fucked her twice in the past year and she had been angling for a third go of it.) Ignoring her disapproving look (she was a bad lay and wasn't going to get a third chance, anyway), he disappeared back into the shop and commenced going about his day. He had classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons and evenings and knew he was facing a long day. He briefly wondered if he would encounter Rachel on campus.

That Monday, both Rachel and Puck faced the realities of their new life. Just a week prior, their lives were only connected by the child Rachel carried. Now, their lives were inexplicably joined and it was something they both had to get used to. Not only did they have their normal routine of school and hobbies to keep up but now they also each shared a home with a virtual stranger. These were the thoughts that raced through Rachel's head as she drove to school.

_I can't believe that this is my life. My dreams...Well, I need to forget about those. I can say goodbye to Maria...I will never play Elphaba….. _Rachel's entire life had been focused on the one goal of making it to Broadway and becoming a star. But ten minutes in an empty bed had forever jerked that dream out from underneath her. And mourning the death of those life-long dreams, which she had grown and nurtured over the years, was emotionally devastating.

For the first time since Rachel's father forced her into this bizarre world, she finally let herself cry. And cry. And cry some more. By the time she had stopped sobbing enough to form coherent thoughts and be understood, she had missed most of her 8am class. Her week was not starting off well.

Trying to get back on track, Rachel grabbed her bag from the backseat of her car and headed into the Life Sciences building. She was turning a corner when she plowed straight into another student.

"I'm so, so sorry," Rachel muttered sadly, without looking at her victim.

"Rachel?"

Recognizing the voice, she lifted her head. "Mercedes, hi!"

Mercedes Jones was one of Rachel's high school classmates. They had been in show choir together and were often rivals because both of them had such powerful voices. However, over the years in choir, they had managed to become friends, despite their still-intact rivalry. Mercedes also happened to be the friend that invited her to what Rachel now referred to (in the quiet of her own mind) as her "impregnation party."

"I thought you went to school in Columbus," Mercedes said as she adjusted her huge purse back on her shoulder.

Rachel looked at the floor, unsure of how much she should reveal. "I..I just transferred here to finish up."

"You should have called me! We could have gotten together."

"I just came back last week," Rachel explained.

Mercedes glanced at her cell phone. "Look, I gotta jet. But we need to get together. I will stop by your house this week and we can..."

Rachel cut her off, quicker than she meant to. "I don't live there anymore."

Mercedes looked at her strangely. Rachel's house was massive...definitely a mansion. She couldn't imagine Rachel NOT living there.

"So, where are you living now?"

Rachel spoke without meeting her friend's eyes. "I am...I have my own place now."

"Cool. Gimme your address."

Rachel wrote it down on a scrap of paper and handed to Mercedes, who read over it. When she looked up again, she noticed for the first time exactly how pale Rachel looked.

"Rach, don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so hot. Is anything wrong?"

Mercedes watched, unspeaking, as the normally composed young woman she knew as Rachel Berry burst into tears and began rambling. Once she had the first three sentences understood, Mercedes barked, "This is a hot damn mess....Let's go talk." Grabbing the sobbing girl's arm, she dragged her over to the commons area and forced her to sit down on an available couch.

Mercedes put a hand on Rachel's leg and said, "Now, tell me everything."

So Rachel began again and explained to Mercedes exactly what had transpired to change her life so drastically. Mercedes didn't speak until her eyes lit up with realization. "Wait a minute – so THAT is where you disappeared to that night at the party?"

Rachel nodded her head, unable to say anything because she felt like she was going to start sobbing again.

"So...who is this guy anyway?"

"Noah...Noah Puckerman is his name."

Mercedes jumped up off the couch, whistling through her teeth. "Oh hell no, not Puck!"

Rachel sighed in frustration. "What, Mercedes? Do you know him?"

"I don't know him personally, no. But I know he's tall, hot as shit, and fucks anything that moves."

Rachel snorted woefully. She certainly knew that was true.

"So you are _married _to this guy?"

Closing her eyes against the reality that was trying to beat her into the ground and with tears leaking down her cheeks, she silently nodded. Mercedes sat back down and pulled Rachel into a hug.

"Your dad sure does know how to ruin a life, doesn't he?"

Blowing out a breath, Rachel grabbed her bag. "I need to go...."

"I understand, Rachel. But just know that you can call me. I'm here if you need me."

Rachel thanked Mercedes with a strong hug and then the two women parted ways. Rachel had now missed her second class of the day.

By the time her school day was over, Rachel had broken down four times and only attended two of her four classes. Arriving back at home, she was exhausted.

It was only 4pm when Rachel dragged herself into the house, dropped her backpack and purse, and collapsed on her bed. She woke up again two hours later. The house was now dark and Noah was not yet home.

Rachel forced herself out of the bed, where she changed into a pair of yoga pants and a spaghetti-strapped tank top. Her stomach was growling and she could only think of one thing that sounded delicious: a heaping plate of pasta loaded with cheese.

Twenty minutes later, she was popping a pan of baked spaghetti into the oven. The smell was heavenly.

While dinner baked, she walked around and straightened the house. It was so quiet without the television on. She went upstairs to start a load of laundry and slowed as she walked past the door to Noah's room. She hadn't even seen the inside of it. Checking down the steps to make sure there was no sign of him, she timidly pushed open the door.

Her nostrils were assaulted with his unique smell when she walked through the door. He smelled like cologne, deodorant, and something else she couldn't identify. Whatever it was, she admitted to herself that it was intoxicating. His bed was neatly made, covered in a dark blue comforter. The top of his dresser was empty except for some loose change and a peppermint. There were three guitar cases sitting in the corner, along with books of sheet music, and boxes of picks. The room did nothing to give her any more insight into this mysterious man. It only confirmed what little she already knew. Not wanting to be caught snooping, she quickly departed the room, closing the door behind her, and zipped down the stairs.

When Noah finally got home at 8:30, he was in a horrible mood. Work was tiring, his classes were difficult, and he needed to get laid. Okay, the fact that he needed to get laid was bothering him more than anything else was, he admitted to himself.

He pushed his car door closed with his hip and walked up the driveway. From his vantage point, the house looked dark. When he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he faintly smelled garlic and his stomach rumbled. He closed the door and Rachel looked up. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the living room under a soft-glowing lamp, pouring over a textbook that was lying on the carpet. His eyes immediately went to her ass. Her thin pants clung tightly to her body, leaving nothing to his imagination. _That_ was not what he needed to see right now.

She looked up when she heard him kick off his shoes. He didn't say anything to her but padded into the room and sat down on the couch. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and exhaled loudly.

"There is a plate of food for you in the microwave. You just need to heat it up."

Opening one eye, he looked down at her small form. "You cooked?"

She nodded and before she realized her choice of words, she said, "your baby was starving, I think. I can't remember the last time that I was that hungry."

The words "your baby" assailed his brain and he barely heard the rest of her statement. It was the first time she had used such a phrase and it made him grin, sending a small shiver down his spine at the same time. This pregnancy hadn't really seemed all that...real...to him so far. Those two words suddenly made it very real.

Not wanting to get all gay and sappy, he stood up and walked to the kitchen. Popping open the microwave, he groaned, "God, woman, you made baked spaghetti. I _fucking __love _this stuff." Heating it up, he grabbed a fork and as soon as the microwave beeped, her jerked the hot plate out and shoved a bite into his mouth. _This _was the shit.

"You like it?"

He bopped his head like a bobble-head doll, deciding not to answer because it would take away from eating.

She smiled into her textbook. She liked seeing him so enthusiastic. Getting compliments for her cooking always made her grin, though, she reasoned. _It certainly wasn't about him. _

Rachel stood up, bending to close her book. Puck appreciated her ass again. It really was fantastic and would fit in his hands perfectly. Groaning to himself, he tried to pull his thoughts back to the awesome food on his plate. He really needed to get laid.

"I think I'm going to bed, Noah."

He looked at the time on the oven. "So soon?"

"I am very tired. This kid is starting to suck the energy out of me."

He grinned again and she saw it this time.

"What?" She was curious.

His eyes searched her face before settling his gaze to meet hers. "It's weird hearing you refer to it as my baby or as a kid...Just makes it more real."

Rachel thought for a moment. "You wanna see something that will make it feel even more real?"

He nodded and she disappeared. Reappearing soon after, she handed him a little yellow scrap of fabric.

Unfolding it, he found himself staring at a duck. "What is this?"

"It's a onesie. The baby's first onesie. Your mom bought it on Saturday."

"That's...that's cool."

He couldn't get over the size of this tiny article of clothing. He couldn't believe that in 33 weeks (he was tracking the time just as closely as she was), his baby would be wearing this little yellow thing.

Puck felt himself get dizzy. He nearly berated himself out loud for almost starting to blubber like a bitch. This baby shit was freaking him _the fuck_ out.

Rachel could tell that he was uncomfortable so she gently removed the onesie from his hand and told him goodnight. She left him standing there in the kitchen, alone with his thoughts.

* * *

The next two weeks flew by in much the same way. They were both very busy with their lives and usually only crossed paths in the evenings. They would usually share conversation and small talk over dinner or as they passed one another in the rooms of the house. Rachel felt herself growing more and more emotional and drawn to tears much more easily as her pregnancy progressed. Her morning sickness would come and go and she hoped, as she drew closer and closer to the end of her first trimester, that it w

ould end completely. There was only so much puking that one girl could do.

Unfortunately for Puck, Rachel was starting to become less able to control her emotions when in his presence. He learned firsthand on exactly what pregnancy can do to a normally put-together woman one Tuesday night as he arrived home from school.

Puck stepped inside the darkened foyer, dropping his backpack and kicking off his shoes. Glancing into the living room, he noticed Rachel on the couch, his blanket clutched to her chest and a Kleenex in her hand. Her face was red and blotchy and she was staring at the television.

He walked into the living room and stood staring at her. "What the fuck is your problem?" he growled.

Rachel didn't look at him, only whispered, "Fraulein Maria went back to the Abbey because she doesn't think Captain von Trapp loves her."

Puck made a face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Rachel's look was withering. "_The Sound of Music_? The von Trapps? Ring a bell?"

"Heard of it…never seen it."

Rachel snorted. "And you say you have a healthy appreciation of music."

"I have a fine appreciation of music. I do not have a fine appreciation of homos singing in movies." He flopped down on the other end of the couch and tried to take the remote from her. She shrieked and grabbed it back from him.

"You don't have to respect the movie but at least let me finish watching it. I'm sure those jackasses on ESPN aren't talking about anything worth a damn anyway."

Puck glared. "Oh, so you wanna start a TV war?" He jerked the remote back out of her hand and flipped the TV to ESPN. She grunted, jerked the remote back, and flipped it back to TCM. He let her enjoy approximately 15 seconds of wide-eyed, asshole-looking kids singing stupidly before he decided he'd seen enough.

Grabbing the remote again, he muttered in short, jerky statements, "I don't think so…." And flipped it back to ESPN. He waited for her to come after him again but instead, he saw her turn red out of the corner of his eye. The next thing he knew, she was running past him in tears. As he heard her bedroom door slam, he rolled his eyes, grabbed the now vacant blanket, and stretched out on the couch. At least now he could watch ESPN in peace.

* * *

By Friday morning, the "von Trapp incident" (as she has begun calling it) was still fresh in Rachel's mind. It proved to her that her supposed husband was a callous cretin.

Puck, being Puck, had completely forgotten about the entire incident. When he got home from work on Friday, he was in a great mood. He and Finn were going to have a jam session tomorrow, he could sleep in, and he would actually get a chance to relax.

He heard Rachel clanging pots and pans and headed toward the noise. Heading toward the noise, he stopped short when he saw her. She was standing in the kitchen wearing a tight top and an _impossibly _short skirt. Like barely came below her ass short. He was pretty sure he'd seen the same skirt on a few strippers before. For a moment, he thought it was wrong for a pregnant chick to be dressed so...interestingly. Then he remembered that she wasn't even showing yet.

Rachel felt his eyes on her. "Can I help you?" She snapped. She was not in the best mood and hoped that they would have a conflict-free evening.

Puck crossed his arms, his biceps bulging in their new position across his chest. "Nope, I'm good. Just enjoying the view."

Rachel threw down the spoon she was using and glared at him. "Oh please! Must you always treat me like a piece of meat?"

Smirk firmly in place, he said, "Babe, if you were meat, I would have eaten you already."

She roared and stormed up to him. "Listen to me, Noah Puckerman. Just because we are forced to reside in the same house does not give you the right to assail me with your sexual advances just because you get the urge to rut like a barn animal."

"Oh get off your fucking high horse," was his only reply.

"What the hell is your problem?" She glared.

He stepped away from her, unfolding his arms. "You know what my problem is? I need to fuck. _I need pussy_." He ground out the words through his teeth.

She winced, his crudeness not expected.

"Oh give me a break, Rachel. Stop acting like a fucking angel. If I remember that night, it was _you _that asked me to fuck you. I was tempted to stop but shit, you wanted it. So I gave it to you." She was starting to really piss him off now.

"Yes, I know I wanted it. And I will regret those too little words that I whispered in your ears for the rest of my life!" She was yelling in his face now, her skin nearly radiating with the heat of her anger.

"You think I won't? Saddled with a cold, unfeeling bitch like you for the rest of my life just because I want to be a good father?" Puck jammed his hands through his hair and then swore and smacked the countertop. His words tore through her like a knife.

"How. Dare. You," she practically flung the words at him.

"Oh please! Like you're not a cold fish."

Rachel locked her gaze with his. "Fuck you, Noah."

"Wow, the ice princess can swear? You're really loosening up, aren't you?"

Rachel started to wag his finger and he pushed it away. He stormed toward the door, snagging his keys and cell phone.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"Getting the fuck away from your crazy ass, obviously." Then he stormed from the house, slamming the door. She heard his car drive away and didn't crumple to the couch in a heap until she was sure he was gone.

His words were like weapons. She hated that he barely knew her yet even he could pinpoint and then drill into the fact that she had issues with intimacy and closeness. She couldn't help it. Her childhood and adolescence had been _so_ lonely. Her father was so critical of everyone that she never really had any friends. She never dated in high school because she wasn't allowed. Her night with Noah had been her _only_ interaction with a man in a sexual way, ever.

_You're a cold, unfeeling bitch. _

She started to sob harder as she realized that she could see exactly why he felt that way.

_

* * *

Fucking bitch._

The longer Puck drove around Lima, the more pissed off he became. Seriously, who the fuck did she think she was? Well he knew that he would _never_ compliment her or hint around about sex ever again. She had made her decision abundantly clear. He actually felt relieved because he would no longer try to control his urges. He had only been resisting in the hopes that she would decided she wanted to be with him. Well fuck that.

He pulled up to a local bar and went inside. Slamming himself down on a barstool, he ordered a beer and began to drink his troubles away. He obviously caught the eye of a tall, leggy, very busty blond at the other end of the bar because she slid over next to him and began speaking in a low, sexy tone. One hour and four beers later, Noah was kissing her and pulling at her nipples in the parking lot. Twenty minutes later, he was pulling his shirt over his head and joining her in her bed.

* * *

The longer Rachel sat in the silent house, the worse she felt. She had overreacted, again. She realized that, in his own brutish, unrefined manner, he was actually attempting to pay her a compliment when he was being sexually suggestive. But what he didn't understand was that his imposing figure, his blatant sexuality, and his reputation all combined to make her very, very afraid of him. If she gave in to him, she was afraid he would have power over her. And the _last _thing she needed was to give yet another man power over her life. She had more than enough to deal with thanks to her father.

Rachel decided then and there that she was going to sit right on that couch and wait until he came home, where she would apologize for overreacting. It wasn't fair for her to take her "daddy issues" out on him.

At 11pm, there was still no sign of him. She checked her phone but there were no missed calls or text messages.

At 12pm, she grabbed a blanket, pulled it over herself, and stretched out on the couch.

By 1am, she was fast asleep, still waiting.

* * *

Sunlight filtered through the window on Saturday morning. As the light crept across the room, it shone into Rachel's eyes, pulling her from her slumber. She sat up, nauseated for a moment, and then she remembered: _Noah. _Standing up, she rushed to the window. Surely he must have snuck in without her hearing him. But as she looked out, she saw her car alone in the driveway. _He never came home._

Rachel wanted to cry. Nausea overtook her as speculation shot around her brain like a pinball. He wanted sex…she wouldn't give it to him...he got it from somewhere else.

Closing her eyes, she fought back tears. She brought this on herself. She pushed him into it. Still, her rationalization failed to comfort her.

As she sat there, staring off into space, she heard a soft rapping on the front door.

She ran to it and jerked it open, thinking it was Noah and that he had forgotten his keys. Instead, her eyes met the kind eyes of Finn Hudson.

"Hi, Rachel," he said as he stepped inside. "I was here to see Puck but he must have run out somewhere. I didn't see his car."

"He...he never came home last night," Rachel whispered.

Finn noticed the terrible look of sadness in her eyes. Leading her to the couch, he sat down.

"What happened?"

"We got into a huge fight and he left...and he hasn't called or anything."

Finn pulled out his cell phone. Flipping it open to the keyboard, he tapped out a message.

_Where the fuck are you?_

Almost instantly, he got a message back.

_Home._

Finn rolled his eyes.

_Bullshit. Sitting here with your WIFE. Where the fuck are you?_

Finn waited for a reply but didn't receive on. Snapping his phone closed, he pocked it.

"He won't tell me where he is."

Rachel grew dizzy. His refusal to answer was just as loud as if he had shouted from the rooftop. She slumped against the couch as Finn watched.

"Hey...hey Rachel, look at me."

Finn put his hand under her chin and turned her face toward him. She looked at him through half-open lids. The sadness in her eyes made his heart clench. At that moment, he was pretty sure that Puck was the biggest asshole still alive.

"Look, I am sorry about all this. I know my apology can't change anything but I am still sorry. You're a sweet, beautiful woman and you don't deserve this. And that asshole doesn't deserve you."

"Finn...he's you're friend," Rachel argued.

"I don't care. Right now, he is nothing more than a fool."

Rachel leaned against Finn but refused to cry. "Thanks, Finn...."

Finn kissed the top of Rachel's head like she was a wounded child.

"Look, I am going to get out of here. I will deal with Puck for you. But if you ever need me, just call, okay?"

She nodded and he wrote his number down on a scrap of paper.

With a quick hug, he was out the door.

Across town, Puck was sitting in a diner, eating greasy eggs, drippy bacon, and toast that tasted like cardboard. Daylight had afforded him the opportunity to realize that he was nothing more than a huge, giant, hairy asshole. He knew he was going to get his balls busted by Finn and he wanted to prepare. Except that he had discovered, as he stared into his disgusting diner food, that he had no defense. _Absolutely no fucking defense_. He may not love Rachel but he at least liked her. And she was his wife...which made him a cheater. Puck may have slept around, tapping pretty much whomever he felt like, during most of his teenage and young adult years but he didn't usually cheat. Again, it brought back memories of his mother's tears after yet another one of his dad's whores showed up at the door, trying to stake a claim.

Deciding he wanted to talk to Rachel instead of dealing with Finn, he tossed some bills onto the table and practically ran out to his car. He drove back to their residence in record time. His stomach was in knots as he imagined the pain on Rachel's face when he walked through the door. Not only had he hurled horrible insults at her but he had spent the night between another woman's legs. This was going to be epically bad….

…except that when he walked through the door finally, she only glanced up from her homework and said, "Hi." She then looked back down, focusing intently on the work in front of her.

"Hey…." He mumbled, unsure of what to do because this was not what he expected.

When she said nothing, he said, "Look…I'm sorry about…"

She cut him off. "Don't worry about it. We're going to fight. It's inevitable."

_What in the fucking hell?_

He expected to come home to tears….not _this. _

Rachel began humming softly to herself as she tapped out some numbers on her scientific calculator. Puck stared after her curiously but said nothing. Finally realizing that she wasn't going to discuss it further, he said, "I'm going to go take a shower."

She nodded and he walked off.

As she heard his footsteps recede, she exhaled and bit her lip, forcing the tears back. She was determined to _never _let him see that he could get to her. Her steely exterior was the _only _protection she had.

**

* * *

YES – Getting this posted in time to go watch the People's Choice Awards. I'm needing a fresh Mr. Salling fix……**

**PS - Smut coming VERY soon for those of you wondering.**


	5. Progress

**A/N: I know I missed a day of updating but I expect this story to take more time to actually write decently. I struggled with this chapter more than I have struggled with anything since I started writing FF…. I just never could get it to flow correctly. I'm not happy with it but I've gotta get out of this writer's-blocky groove. I will start fresh with Chapter 6. **

* * *

As Puck stood under the hot spray of the shower, he was completely unnerved. Rachel's reaction, or lack of a reaction, in the dining room a few minutes prior left him confused. He was nearly positive that she suspected he spent the night with another woman. But yet she definitely didn't want to talk about it. It just made no sense – she was furious because he interrupted _The Sound of Music _but unfazed after he spent the entire night in an undisclosed location? _The girl was hot and cold...._

Toweling off, he glanced at the clock in the bathroom. Finn was supposed to show up for the jam session in a few minutes. Puck intended to ask him why the hell he stopped by this morning in the first place. And then he wanted to know every single thing that Rachel said to him. He had to get to the bottom of why she didn't seem to care when his gut told him that she did.

While Puck was showering, Finn arrived. The look of concern on his face when Rachel opened the door touched her heart. Still, she didn't let her emotions show.

"How are you doing now, Rachel?" He asked as he stepped inside.

"I'm fine…Finn, can I ask you to not share any of our conversation this morning with Noah?"

Finn seemed confused. "Uhh...why, Rachel?"

"I would just prefer that he not know that his absence affected me in any way. I'm afraid it would only strain our already tenuous relationship," she explained in a whisper, afraid he was listening from upstairs.

Finn thought for a moment. "Okay, then...but I'm still gonna bitch him out."

Rachel smiled. "If you feel the need to as his friend, don't let me stop you. Just please don't do solely on my behalf."

Just then, they both turned at the sound of Puck's footsteps on the stairs. Puck stopped cold when he saw the two of them. "Uhh, hey Finn," he said casually.

"Puck." Finn replied coldly.

The look on Puck's face told Rachel that he knew he was going to be subjected to a grade-A bitch-out when the two of them were alone. Turning away so she could smile, she said, "You boys have fun jamming." Then she primly sat down and returned her focus to her homework, pretending the two men were no longer in the room.

Puck and Finn through the kitchen and out toward garage in silence, where Finn began unloading his drums.

After a few minutes, Finn finally spoke. "So, where were you?"

"I was just...out."

"Don't give me that bullshit, dude...You went to a bar and went home with some whore, didn't you?"

Stunned that he was busted, Puck just shrugged his shoulders.

Finn, obviously angered, stepped forward. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You have a wife in there...pregnant with YOUR baby. Could you be a bigger asshole?"

Puck said nothing. He couldn't defend himself and he knew there was no point in even trying. Finn was slamming things around now, obviously angry with his lifelong friend.

"Look, dude, It's not like she's really my wife…I mean, yes, she is "technically" my wife….but…. she won't let me touch her and I am pretty sure she hates me…..Shit I KNOW I screwed up. I totally know that. I was just so mad...."

"Well, what happened in the first place that caused you to go be a massive douchebag and cheat?" Finn sat down on the tailgate of his truck.

Puck looked at driveway, pushing dirt around with the sole of his shoe. "…..I kinda asked her to sleep with me and was absolutely shut down....so I got pissed."

"Why'd she turn you down? Were you all romantic like "Rachel, you're beautiful and you're pregnant with my child and I would love to make you feel fantastic again" or were you like "hey baby, wanna fuck?""

Puck glared at Finn but said nothing. Laughing, Finn responded, "Ahh, okay, so you definitely didn't try to sweet talk her, did you? What do you expect, you moron? She's hormonal already and she probably wants to feel desired."

"Dude, have you seen her? I definite "desire" her…."

"Then tell her that…WITHOUT grabbing your crotch and grinding against her but…and I know this is going to be very difficult for a man whore like you but BE HONEST WITH HER. Besides, it would an awesome arrangement. She's already pregnant!"

Hands in the air, Puck said, "I KNOW! That's my argument! We live in the same house, we've already had sex once, obviously….she can't get pregnant now. Seems like the perfect fucking arrangement to me….but noooooooooo…."

"Have you tried to talk to her today?"

"She just blew me off."

"Well, fuckface, why don't you tell her why you want to….but don't be yourself when you do it because I can't keep diffusing your bullshit."

A light bulb went on inside Puck's brain. "Hey, yeah, what the fuck were you doing at my house this morning, anyway?"

"I actually came over to invite you two to breakfast. Thought I'd try to foster a sense of unity up in this house of horrors. Instead, I walked right into it."

Puck focused his glare on Finn and said, "Was she pissed?"

Finn wanted to keep his conversation with Rachel private because she had requested it, so he said, "Not pissed. Hurt…and look Puck, I know it's none of my business but you should really keep your dick out of foreign skanks now. Like it or not, your life is different so you need to act differently."

Puck nodded, knowing Finn was, unfortunately, right. "Okay, Oprah, I gotcha…Now can we jam?"

* * *

After Finn left a few hours later, Puck came back inside to a silent house. His stomach grumbled so he went to find Rachel. He cracked open her bedroom door and saw her sleeping form stretched out on the bed. Walking in quietly, he sat down on the edge and gently nudged her shoulder.

"Rachel?"

She grumbled into the covers.

"Rach…" he tried again.

She lifted her head and looked around, slightly disoriented. "Noah, what time is it?"

"About 6:30…I'm going to go order some Chinese. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded, laying her head back down. "I'll come get you when the food gets here."

She mumbled something that sounded like "okay" and he slipped out quietly to order dinner.

Thirty minutes later, a still groggy Rachel forked a piece of broccoli and slowly lifted it to her mouth. Her eyelids were still heavy.

Puck watched her intently as he sucked a lo mein noodle into his mouth. "You look so tired," he commented.

She gave him a bleary smile. "This child is an energy zapper. I've never taken so many naps in my life as I have in the past month."

They ate in total quiet for a while, him enjoying his food and Rachel attempting to wake up. Finally, Puck said, "Rachel…can we talk about last night?"

She sighed. "Noah, I already said that it was okay…."

He cut her off. "No, I mean I want to talk about why we had the fight…about the…sex."

"I've already told…."

He cut her off again. "Can I talk?"

"Sorry…sure." She stopped eating and folded her hands into her lap, preparing to listen.

"Look, I haven't been very good at explaining myself but I want to try to get this out."

He exhaled through his teeth and continued, "Finn tells me I need to communicate better so here goes: You and I are married…yes, it's in name only but we're still living under the same roof. We're in this together, as weird as the whole fucked up mess is. Anyway, I just think it makes perfect sense for us to "be together" because you're already pregnant and….well….you're hot, Rachel!"

Her eyes grew huge? "What? You think I'm attractive?"

Puck stood up from the table and walked around to where she sat. He knelt in front of her so that he could meet her eyes.

"Are you serious? You're fucking beautiful...."

Puck watched her eyes get a little watery. It almost seemed like she had never had a man tell her that before. He couldn't believe that was true because she was _breathtaking_ (to use a totally gay word.)

Rachel smiled at him but said nothing so he took it as a cue to continue, "You and I are both young and sexual. I mean, I know I was your first but now you're pregnant and I know for a _fact_ that pregnant women get horny. I'm kind of a stud and like sex all the time… It just makes sense that we do _it _together."

Rachel's face was beet red at his indication that she was "horny" because even though it was correct, she would be mortified to admit it. Instead, she sat up a bit straighter and said, "Since we're being honest, I will tell you that I…do find your suggestion appealing."

He started to smile until she put a hand in front of his face. "But…I need to be able to trust you, Noah. I need to be able to know that if you're with me, you're ONLY with me. I can't have you bringing something home to me and the baby."

"Rachel, I would never, ever endanger either one of you."

"You say that Noah…but I need to _believe _it. And that takes time."

They were both quiet for a moment while Puck processed her words. "So…you need time?"

"Yes…"

Puck smirked. "Oh, I got time, baby. I got all the time in the world."

Rachel smacked his arm and then used the same hand to grip his bicep. "Thank you for explaining yourself, Noah. And I'm sorry I went so crazy last night."

"I'm sorry, too." He stood up. "Now finish eating. My kid needs nutrients."

He plopped back down in his chair, grabbed another lo mein noodle, and went right back to his dinner, feeling much better than he'd felt in days. She wanted him to prove himself? He could _definitely _do that.

* * *

"Puckerman?" The woman asked as she looked down at her file. Looking up, she scanned the room. She saw the young couple stand up from chairs in the corner and walk toward her. "You can come on back."

Rachel and Puck followed the nurse through the door. She led them to a small room with a table and medical equipment. "Have a seat. They will be with you shortly." As the woman disappeared, the door closed, leaving Rachel and Puck sitting in silence.

Rachel was now in her 12th week of pregnancy. It had been three weeks since her conversation at the dinner table with Noah about the idea of introducing sex into their relationship. Since then, he had been more attentive to her needs (i.e. she needed ice cream, he made sure she had it. She wanted saltine crackers ON TOP of that ice cream, he crumbled them up for her.) As he showed his sweeter side, Rachel began finding him even more and more attractive. Plus, her hormonal rages had only gotten worse and her willpower to say "no" when she needed _him _so badly was starting to take its toll.

A technician came in the room and instructed Rachel to sit lie back on the table and lift her shirt up. She did as she was told as Puck watched from the chair. With Rachel lying flat, he noticed a barely perceptible bump for the first time. The technician squirted gel on the bump and then began running a wand over it.

She looked over at Puck and said, "Is this your first sonogram, Dad?"

He nodded, slightly weirded out by being called "Dad." She motioned for him to come closer so he slid his chair over by Rachel. As he did, blurry, confusing images began to show up on the small screen in front of them. Finally, a blob settled into view in the middle of the screen.

The technician began pointing things out. "Here is the head….and this is a foot."

Puck's eyes began to burn. He looked down, trying to get himself in check, before looking back up. The technician was quiet, letting them both stare at the screen. He looked over at Rachel's face and she was smiling at the image.

"The baby is looking perfectly healthy, Mr. & Mrs. Puckerman. You are right on target with your pregnancy."

At that moment, Puck realized he had been holding his breath. He looked intently at the screen, then down at Rachel's exposed belly, then back at the screen.

_My baby._

_My kid…right there._

_Wow._

Rachel studied his face curiously, watching as a range of emotions apparently came over him.

Reaching over, she squeezed his hand. "Are you okay, Noah?"

He silently nodded, his eyes pealed to the slight rise of Rachel's stomach.

The technician hit a few buttons and then handed Rachel a towel so she could wipe off her stomach. Puck was saddened to see the image disappear but a few minutes later, he happily had several photos and a DVD in his hand as they left.

Walking back to the car, Rachel studied him out of the corner of her eye.

"That…" he finally said as they were both slipping inside the car, "was fucking awesome! Did you see that foot? It was so clear…. I mean…. Wow…. Holy shit….."

She smiled. "It is pretty exciting, isn't it?"

"It's amazing."

Puck started the car and put it into motion. As they were driving home, he said, "I noticed that you're getting a baby bump now. Do you have any maternity clothes yet?

Rachel shook her head no.

"Well, where is one of those pregnant lady stores? Let's get you some clothes!"

Enamored with the emotionally vulnerable and blatantly excited Noah Puckerman at her side, she agreed and he diverted the car away from the direction of home.

Two hours later, they left the mall with three shopping bags full of maternity clothes and a stuffed Rhinoceros that Puck had insisted upon buying because it was "bitchin'."

* * *

Later that night, long after Rachel was asleep, Puck sat up in the living room and watched the sonogram DVD again. On his 64" HDTV, it was unbelievable. And in a completely manly way, he let himself get just a tad emotional (but nothing too intense because Noah Puckerman was _never_ a pussy.) This shit was _so _real now.

He thought about the small, scared woman asleep down the hall. In the three weeks since their dinner conversation, he had actually made an effort to get to know her. He's discovered that she was quite witty and had a sassy attitude. And despite her sickening love for combining ice cream and crackers, she was really pretty awesome. He had been true to his word and hadn't touched another woman in weeks and frankly, it really wasn't killing him like he thought it would.

Deep in thought, he jumped when he heard Rachel's bedroom door open. Barefoot and with mussed hair, she padded into the kitchen. He shot up from the couch and asked, "Is everything okay?"

She nodded. "Just thirsty…and I need ice cream."

He laughed and walked toward her. She reached up into the cabinet and he saw her shirt lift slightly, letting her rounded belly show for a moment. Again, his eyes were drawn to it and he felt himself get aroused. _God I hope she trusts me soon…_


	6. Closer

**A/N: So smut was originally scheduled for Chapter 6 but I got delayed by Puck and Rachel being cute together instead. And then Chapter 6 got to be ENTIRELY TOO long so I found a decent stopping point and broke it up into two chapters. So now, chapter 7 is smut-licious. Thanks for all the reviews. I love the passion that are in a lot of your comments. I have no idea where this story is taking me…I'm just along for the ride!**

**And I'm back on top, people! Two chapters in one day!!!! I knew I'd get my groove back after Chapter 5 threw me for a 24-hour loop. (I also don't work on Fridays so I have tons of free time!)**

* * *

"Dude, we're going to play pool tonight, you in?" Finn asked as he and Puck were putting their tools up for the day.

"Can't tonight, man. Taking Rachel to the movies," Puck said, unzipping his coveralls. Stepping out of them, he hung them on a hook.

Finn smiled at him. "Dude, it seems like you really took my advice and are really trying to make an effort with Rachel."

Puck glared at him. "Whatever, fuckhead. It just so happens that I like the girl. She's nice…and funny….And in case you haven't noticed, she's got the hottest, tightest little body I've ever seen…" Puck stared off into space, obviously distracted by mental images of Rachel's "goods."

"Have you slept with her yet?"

Puck looked at him indignantly. "I don't discuss those things."

Finn let out a guttural laugh. "I'll take that as a no…"

Sighing, Puck leaned against his toolbox. "I'm hoping it changes soon… we had that conversation about the whole sex issue when she was 9 weeks pregnant. She's 14 weeks now. I think my balls are going to explode…And she runs around the house in these thin little pants and tank tops and half the time, she's not wearing a bra. I swear, some days I feel like I'm going to drown in my own cum backup."

"Oh whatever, dude. She's worth the wait and you're not going to fucking die. Besides, we both know about your massive, expertly hidden porn collection, so I think you'll be okay."

At Finn's mention of porn, Puck got an uncomfortable look on his face.

"What? Rachel find it?" Finn asked with a laugh.

"It's not that… It's just…."

"What? C'mon man…talk." Finn punched Puck's arm.

"It's…I… Do you think I'm, like, into preggo women porn now or something? Every time I see Rachel, I look at her belly and I automatically get hard. Like, every fucking time. For some reason, just the sight of that baby bump makes me want to bang her against a wall." Concerned, he met his friend's eyes. "Don't you think that's fucked up?"

Finn put his hand on Puck's shoulder. "Relax, dude. YOU made her that way…I think that's where the attraction is. It's one of those primal things."

Puck sighed. "God I hope so… I don't want to be a sicko but it's like she gets_ hotter_ the bigger her baby bump gets. It's weird… It's…."

"Puck….RELAX! You just need to get laid, that's all."

"I know, man." Puck finished putting his stuff way and then turned back toward Finn. "Oh, and guess what I did on lunch this week?"

Puck pulled out his wallet and removed a piece of paper. He handed it to Finn, who unfolded it and read it.

"You got tested for STDs?" Finn looked at him quizzically.

"Yeah. Like the only time I've had unprotected sex that I can even remember, well since I was a teenager anyway, is the night I knocked up Rachel. But why would she believe me if I told her I was always careful? I didn't wrap up when I was with her so I could see if she thought I was lying. So I got tested to prove to her that _this_ shit is clean…" For added effect, he groped at his crotch.

"Wow, Puck…that's a romantic gesture…provided you refrain from fondling your dick while telling her," Finn smiled. He was proud of Puck. Sure, he was still a douche, but at least he was making an effort to be a less douchy douche.

Finn and Puck said their goodbyes and Puck headed home. He and Rachel were going to see some chick flick tonight. He didn't know anything about it but he was sure someone would either die or get left and Rachel would cry. She'd cried at a coffee commercial the other night when they were watching television together. And he was _positive_ he saw tears on her cheeks the other day when she walked in on him watching an episode of SpongeBob. Sure, it was a particularly touching episode because SpongeBob befriended Plankton in one of his many moments of stupid innocence but he didn't think it was tear-worthy (because it was _fucking SpongeBob SquarePants_, dammit!) But sure enough, when he looked over at her, her cheeks were shiny. She had vehemently denied that it had made her cry, of course, and then she hit him with a pillow after he'd made fun of her. Still, he had a packet of Kleenex in his pocket ready for tonight… Noah Puckerman could _deal _with his wife's waterworks.

When he walked in the door, he could hear the shower running in her bathroom. He momentarily thought about sneaking in to join her but was afraid she would freak out so instead, he went upstairs to his bathroom and showered. When he was ready, he came back down and found her sitting at the table, doing homework.

"You ready to go, Rach?"

She smiled. "I am…let's go. I can't wait to see this movie." She stood up and he appreciated her outfit. She was wearing a calf-length skirt and shirt that didn't accentuate her baby bump but didn't hide it either. She had on flats (her feet were starting to swell at times), which made her look small and vulnerable. Her hair had a soft curl to it and her skin sparkled. In other words, she looked _fucking edible. _ Puck blatantly leered at her and she jabbed a finger into the toned muscles of his abdoment, laughing, as they walked to the car.

As they drove to the theater, he grabbed the folded test results and tossed them in her lap with a "here."

She opened them and read.

"I thought you may be wondering…I wanted to put that out of your mind. I know I'm not an angel but I'm usually not stupid…except for that night with you…"

"Thank you, Noah…This means a lot." She smiled to herself, looking out the window, and tried not to cry. But her attempts were futile and a tear slipped down her cheek. She couldn't believe that he had gone to the trouble to get tested. Now, should they forge ahead with a sexual relationship, at least she could do so without worry. Just then, a package of Kleenex landed in her lap. She looked over at Puck, who grinned and said, "I'm getting prepared for your shenanigans, now."

When they got to the theater, he helped her out of the car and grabbed her hand as they walked in to the theater. At the ticket counter, he said, "Okay, which one are we seeing? They all look like I'll have to check my balls at the door just to be allowed in the theater. There doesn't appear to be one single movie here that involves blood and entrails."

"We're seeing the one with Amy Adams, you goof."

"Oh Amy Adams…_of course_. Who the fuck is Amy Adams?"

Rachel glared at him and he laughed then turned to order the tickets.

Once they were loaded up with theater junk food (a popcorn bucket twice the size of his head and a hotdog for him, a soft pretzel and a box of Milk Duds for her, plus two massive cups of cola that cost Puck nearly as much as a car payment), they slipped into seats near the top of the theater.

As he tossed popcorn nonchalantly into his mouth, Rachel said, "It's nice of you to do this for me, Noah. It means a lot."

He grinned over at her, reaching to steal a Milk Dud out of her hand when she wasn't looking. "No prob, babe. I take care of _my_ woman." He hadn't meant to say it like that, and based upon her rant three days ago about the subservient attitude that so many Neanderthal men had these days had when it came to women and their roles, he was pretty sure he was going to be corrected. Instead, she just smiled and slid slightly closer to him in her seat.

_His woman._

As the lights went down and the previews began, Rachel couldn't help but admit that the statement had appeal, despite is misogynistic undertones.

As the lights came up at the end of the movie, Puck handed Rachel his ever-present pack of Kleenex again. She looked touched as she dabbed her eyes and blew her nose. "That was so emotionally moving. Don't you think, Noah?"

He snorted. "You mean the part where she went running after the car like some desperate psycho or the part where she cried for five minutes or the part where she rambled on about how sometimes, people have to live without those they love until I wanted to kill myself?"

"ALL of the parts, obviously. That movie was sheer perfection. A hint of comedy tied in with a powerful message about love and redemption." She sounded wistful as she spoke.

"Rach, I think I have a vagina now thanks to that shit. Had you not been here, I would have walked out during the gay opening song. But whatever, if you're in to sad, pathetic movies that make you want to light yourself on fire, it was alright." His grin was huge.

"You think you're so tough just because you're tall and build like a god."

_Did I just say that out loud? _

Rachel's eyes grew wide at the fact that she'd just let it slip that she found his physique attractive and Puck threw his head back and laughed. "I _KNEW_ you wanted me."

"Oh shut up and take me home, you big oaf."

The two walked to the car together with hands intertwined again, both still smiling.

As they drove back home, Rachel couldn't help but think it had been a wonderful evening. Noah was really changing toward her. His gruff exterior, which was very real, would occasionally fall away and she would be left with a vulnerable, sensitive man. Usually, those times were few and far between. But tonight, she was lucky to have sensitive, fun Noah. She looked forward to those times.

When they got home, Rachel kicked off her shoes and yawned. Puck looked at the clock and realized he had to be back up in six hours.

"Well, goodnight, Noah. Thank you again for the movie...and for getting tested."

"Anything for you, Rach…."

Tension hung between them in the air. Deciding he was going to take a chance, Puck shortened the distance between them in two steps, put his warm hand up against her cool cheek, and turned her face toward him. He looked into her eyes for a moment and then crushed his lips to hers. She kissed him back with as much passion as he kissed her. Pulling away so he could breathe, he kissed her eyelids. He knew, at that moment, that if he wanted her, he could have her. But the time wasn't right yet. Instead, he slid his hand down and settled it on her belly, directly where he knew their baby - his baby - rested. He had wanted to touch her there – he'd been dying too, actually - but had, as of yet, been too afraid that she'd push him away. Instead, her reaction was one of contentment. She closed her eyes as the warmth of his palm settled on her skin. She pressed both of her hands over his and held there there for a moment. Realizing that if he didn't pull away now, he wouldn't be able to, he whispered, "Sleep tight, babe," removed his hand from her stomach, and slid up the stairs.

Humming to herself, she went into her own room and went to bed.

* * *

Friday night, Puck found himself alone in the house. Rachel had gone to a makeup party (or some shit like that) with her friend Mercedes. Bored, he called up his bros to see if they were available. At 9pm that evening, they rolled into the bar.

The guys found a corner table and settled in. The waitress, who happened to be exceptionally beautiful, approached them. Finn fawned all over her, paying her compliments and asking her questions about the specials and if she liked being a waitress. Puck wanted to puke over the entire exchange. Once their order was given and she walked away, Puck started in.

"We have been friends for our entire fucking lives…have you picked up _nothing_ from me? That was the most pathetic display of interest I have ever seen. You weren't smooth, you weren't suave. You were just big and stupid and that's how you are normally!"

Finn turned red. "What am I supposed to do? That girl is gorgeous. Did you see her cheekbones? She's beyond exotic. God…just looking at her makes me want to die. No woman on the planet should be allowed to be _that_ gorgeous."

Puck screwed up his face and looked over at the waitress, who was now coming back with their beer. "She's not _all _that, dude."

"Whatever, man. I'm with Finn on this one…I'd tap that," Robb added to be supportive. Finn just grimaced, like Robb was really violating his dream waitress.

"Am I sitting at a big table full of gayness? Finn, get her number or shut up. Robb, you could never have her, she's out of your league. Puck, did you ever fuck your wife?" All three men turned their daggered stares towards Jimmy, who was just silently voted the biggest douche at the table.

Puck took a big swig of his beer and relaxed in his seat. "Not yet, Jimmy…I'm biding my time."

"Still wants nothing to do with you, huh?"

"Oh, I know she wants me…I can sense it. I'm just waiting it out…. Of course, when it finally happens, I may be like Finn was back in the day and lose it before I ever get my pants off, but that's a chance I'm willing to take."

Robb and Jimmy turned towards Finn, who looked like he wanted to stab Puck. The three men started laughing and Finn just glowered. "Shut up guys…I was in high school. I've got some skill now… "

"Yup…sure…why you still single?" Robb asked.

All Finn would say was, "You're all motherfuckers and I hate you." He stood up and scooted out of the seat. "I'm going to go take a piss." Finn walked away, shooting a dreamy glance at the blonde waitress as he passed her.

"Guys, I'll be right back. I'm going to go order a shot." Puck pushed himself out of the booth and headed to the bar. Sitting on a stool, he ordered a shot of whiskey. He smelled the familiar perfume before he saw the woman. She slid into the seat next to him and said, "I've been hoping you'd come back for a repeat."

He looked over at the woman whom he had cheated on Rachel with many weeks before. Perhaps it was because the bar was brighter or perhaps it's because Puck had a clearer head, but all he could think was that she looked old and sad. She had shoved her huge fake tits into a small dress and was wearing stripper heels. Her bottle-blond hair was piled haphazardly on top of her head. It was really kind of pathetic, Puck thought.

He said nothing and instead, took a shot.

She waited for a moment and said, "You wanna come back to my place?"

He almost felt sorry for her. There was no way in hell he would be repeating that mistake.

Standing up, he threw a few bills at the bartender and turned toward the woman, whose name had escaped him completely. "You'll have to find someone else. I'm not interested." He then walked back to the table and rejoined his friends. She stared after him, looking both aroused and pissed.

When he sat back down, Finn waggled a piece of paper in his face.

"I got her number!"

"Whose?" Puck asked.

"Duh! The waitress! I think she likes me…"

"That's cool…what's her name?"

Finn looked down at the paper. "Quinn…Quinn Fabray."

* * *

When Puck got back home, Rachel's car was in the driveway. Walking inside, he saw that the television was on. Rachel was curled up in front of it under a blanket, fast asleep. He studied her face for a moment, taking in her beauty. She looked so innocent and sweet. Yet there was intelligence and an intensity that was evident even as she slept. Like it or not, he was forever tied to this woman. And right now, he really liked it.


	7. The Problem with Parents

**A/N: CHAPTER IS RATED M. And I have a sick confession: I listened to my husband's Barry White CD while writing **_**certain parts **_**of this chapter and admittedly, it did help me get into the groove. I feel so dirty now. LOL! Wait…and now I feel old, too, because a lot of you young 'uns that read this story probably won't even know who Barry White is… AHHHH!!! **

* * *

Rachel had her backpack thrown over her shoulder and was walking toward her car when she saw her father's Lincoln pull into the driveway. Her stomach dropped. She had barely seen him since he forced her into the marriage nine weeks ago. He called her and she would briefly speak to him but had yet to go visit again. She knew that he would refuse to be blown off anymore.

He got out of his car, strategically placed to block Rachel in, she noticed, and walked toward her.

"Hello, honey," he said casually.

"Hi, Daddy," she answered quietly.

Marcus Berry looked at his daughter's form, noticing that at 15 weeks pregnant, she was just starting to show.

"You're looking well, under the circumstances," his eyes moved down to her belly and Rachel instinctively moved to put a protective hand over it.

"I'm doing well, yes. The pregnancy is progressing perfectly."

He stood for a moment, surveying the outside of the house.

"I see that the boy is doing a good job at keeping the house up. That's good. I was worried…you never know what you'll get when you get involved with the working class."

Rachel fumed. "That boy has a name, Daddy. It's Noah…and he loves this house and works hard at keeping it maintained. You don't have to worry about anything happening to your precious house."

"So he's treating you well, too?"

She nodded. "Yes, he is. We have our ups and downs but lately we've been getting along splendidly. He's…he's really a wonderful man. And he cares about our baby."

Marcus smiled at his daughter like she was a zoo animal. "He cares about that money that I gave him, honey. That's more than a man like him will see in a lifetime of working."

Rachel's eyes filled with tears. She didn't need to be reminded about Noah's receipt of a large sum of money for marrying her. They hadn't discussed it and he hadn't gone out and bought anything flashy…or anything at all, for that matter…so it had kind of been forgotten.

Rachel forced herself up a little straighter and said, "He may not love me, Daddy, but he _does_ love this baby. I know that…I can see that."

"That's fine, honey. I just hope you understand that this marriage is one of convenience. You'll protect your heart that way."

Rachel just wanted him to leave. "Daddy, why did you come here? You're the one that forced us into this marriage and when I tell you we're trying to make it work, you put us down and insult us. What is the point?"

Her father stepped closer and she stepped farther away from him. "I am glad you're making this work. I just wanted to stop by to see for myself that things were going okay. As much as I regret your choice of…partners…I don't want to see you walking around this town with a bastard child. So you let me know if he's difficult or hurts you in anyway. Okay?"

She nodded silently before saying, "I need to get to class. I'm going to be late."

"Fine…I'll leave. But you and the boy need to come for dinner sometime soon."

Angry, she said, "His name is Noah, Daddy. And we'll see…. Goodbye."

Marcus drove away, leaving a very frustrated and sad daughter in his wake. As she got into her own car to go to school, she felt enraged. _Hasn't he interfered enough? Is he ever going to stop interfering? And why does he have to bring up the money? I mean, I know that's why Noah is here but when he does it makes everything we've endured so far seem farcical…like Noah is just putting on an act._

Rachel felt like she was on autopilot for the rest of the day. Despite everything going on in her life, not living under her father's roof had been a blessing. She felt like she was slowly coming out of her sheltered, untrusting shell with the help of Noah and even Noah's friends, as well as her rekindled friendship with Mercedes. She just had to wonder: why couldn't her life _ever_ be even remotely normal?

* * *

When Puck got home from school that evening, he could immediately tell something was wrong with Rachel. She only nodded when he came in the door and didn't try to engage him in conversation while he warmed up his dinner. Breaking her "don't you dare eat on my couch or I will skin you alive" rule, he took his plate and plopped down next to her. She sent him a warning glance but he ignored it.

"'Sup, Rach? You seem quiet tonight."

"Just tired I guess…"

"Liar…what's bothering you?"

She was quiet for a moment. Then she turned to face him, scooting against the arm of the couch and tucking her legs in under her. "Daddy stopped by today."

"Oh…and what wonderful words of his encouragement did he have to offer?"

"I think he just wanted to remind me that this marriage is a sham and that you're here for the money. I think the idea of his daughter not being under his thumb every second is failing to sit well."

Her matter-of-fact words stung and he stopped chewing for a moment. Her father was such a useless bastard. "I'm here because of that baby. And I haven't touched that money. It's sitting there in my account but I haven't touched it."

She reached out and put her hand on his arm. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Noah. I know why you're here. I know you love this baby."

"I do, Rachel. And you father can say whatever he wants but I'm not planning on going anywhere, okay?"

She nodded, glancing down at her hands. She wanted to ask him…didn't know how to ask… but he apparently could read her mind because he smiled at her and said, "And you're not so bad to have around, either. Sure, your obsession with ice cream is exhausting and you use big words and like to yell…but you're also pretty cool."

She instantly felt relieved. Her very secret, innermost self was terrified that he didn't like her and that their building friend-relation-whatever-ship, whatever it was, was all just smoke and mirrors.

"Do me a favor, okay, Rach?" he asked a few minutes later.

"What?"

"Anytime your father says anything to you, regardless of what it is, you will tell me, okay? That man has programmed you your entire fucking life to bow to what he thinks is best for you. But I'm around now and I don't like to see how he sucks the damn life out of you."

She nodded, touched that he was concerned about her. He really was a good man, despite the fact that he _was, _at that moment, violating her "no eating on the couch" rule. Just this once, she thought she'd let it slide.

* * *

The rest of the week went by without incident. Rachel's father made no appearances and their household remained relatively calm, except for a minor argument on Thursday night involving which network had a better nightly news program, NBC or CBS. (Puck thought that Rachel had some weirdo crush on Brian Williams.)

Saturday morning, Puck was feeling great. He had a whole weekend at home and didn't have any plans with the guys. He intended to work on a little bit of guitar stuff...and he was hopefully going to convince Rachel to sing for him. In the 9 weeks they had lived together, they had yet to hear each other sing. He loved music and so did she...hopefully they could share it. And her voice, undoubtedly, would be a nice respite from the tap-tap-tapping of Finn on his drums, who was his normal music partner when his band wasn't actually playing (and they hadn't played anywhere in a long, long time. Getting chicks pregnant derails that stuff, apparently.) Puck stood outside on the porch, enjoying the morning. He thought about going for a run but then decided against it. Instead, he jogged to the mailbox and pulled out about three days worth of mail. He separated it on his way back in, tossing his stuff on the coffee table. With Rachel's in hand, he walked toward her door. Puck pushed open her door, staring at the stack of mail. When he looked up, Rachel was standing in front of her mirror – in nothing but a pair of light blue panties. Her mouth was agape and she looked so shocked that she hadn't even bothered to cover up.

He stood there for a moment, the mail forgotten. Her back was to him, of course, but he could see her entire reflection in the mirror and she was stunning. Her body was tiny – a dancer's body – and her breasts were perfectly proportioned. His vision settled on the reflection of her dark brown nipples and he felt himself start to stir. She just stared back at him…her face and chest red but her hands still remained at her side. Without realizing it, he tossed her mail on her bed and approached her until he was standing behind her. He looked at her in the mirror and their eyes met. He could see, right then, that she wanted him. His willpower had been tested long enough, he decided at that moment. Slowly, he lifted his arms from his sides and gently ran his hands up her arms, over her shoulders, and down her back and around to her waist. She shivered against the heat of his touch and leaned back into him. Their eyes stayed locked together in the mirror as his hands slid from her waist around to gently caress her belly. Then his hands slid up her abdomen, drawing slow, lazy circles over her skin, until they settled under her breasts. Cupping her breasts, his thumbs flicked across her nipples. She leaned farther against him, pressing her back into his chest, and let out the smallest moan.

Fully aroused now, he leaned into her and whispered, "You like that?"

She nodded her head and his fingers moved up to tweak and pull at her nipples. Her breasts were so sensitive that she nearly came apart right there. He was torturing her, she was sure of it.

She could feel his hardness pressing against her lower back. She rubbed herself against him and he growled into her ear. His right hand left her breast and slid back down her body and inside her panties. She cried out as his finger found her clit and started to rub. He slipped in farther, finding her wetter than he had anticipated, which only made him even more aroused. His finger spread that moisture over her clit, allowing his finger to slip fast and hard against her. He continued to rub her for a few moments while squeezing her nipple until he saw her close her eyes, bite her lip, and then moan out his name. He watched in the mirror as she came completely undone against him, crying out and squeezing her legs together. He held her up as she came and then picked her up and tossed her on the bed. There would be _no more_ sexual tension in the Puckerman house, he decided.

He was pulling his shirt over his head to join her on the bed when it happened.

The doorbell.

And then a knock.

And then the doorbell three times.

And then he heard, "Noah! I know you're in there."

He swore under his breath and looked at Rachel, who was leaning up on her elbows, her body flushed and her panties only half-on her hips. She laughed as the doorbell rang again.

"My fucking mother," he balled up his fists and looked like he wanted to punch something.

"Noah, you have to let her in. She knows we're here."

"Rachel…do you know how close we were to…"

She cut him off. "I'm well aware, thank you very much. And we can resume later…I promise."

She pushed herself off the bed, straightened her panties, and grabbed a bra. He watched he slip it on, saddened that she was now covered from his hungry view. As the doorbell rang for the 34th time, she said, "Please go let your mother in!"

Growling, he stalked out of her room and yanked open the door. "This better be good, woman," was his greeting.

Miriam ignored his words, just patted him on the cheek as she slipped by, and said, "Where's Rachel?"

Just then she came out of her bedroom. "Hello, Miriam. How are you?"

Concern washed over Miriam's face as she stared at Rachel. "Honey, are you okay? Your face is flushed. Do you have a fever?"

Puck snorted loudly. Of course she had a "fever." He was two seconds from fucking her when his annoying, pain-in-the-ass mother decided to show up. At that moment, if murder had not been illegal in the state of Ohio, he was pretty sure he'd be burying his mother's body back by the elm tree.

"I'm fine, Miriam. It's just a little hot in here."

Puck snickered, impressed that Rachel was keeping her composure when even he could see that she was clearly still aroused.

Sighing that he was now in hell, he dragged his mother into the living room.

"What do you want, anyway?"

Miriam held up three shopping bags. "I found a bunch of yours and your sisters old baby things. I wanted to see if Rachel wanted any of it before I threw it away."

"That's very sweet, Miriam. Let's take a look at it."

Rachel and Miriam sat down on the couch and began pulling things out of the bags.

Puck rolled his eyes and punched the doorframe. "I'll be in the shower, if anyone needs me." Then he stalked off…not looking forward to the freezing but necessary water he'd have to use.

He seriously wanted to kill his mother.

* * *

Rachel flipped over on her side and glanced at the clock. 1:13am. She had gone to bed nearly three hours ago and had yet to even close her eyes. Sighing and punching her pillow, she flopped back over to her other side. Her legs were slowly getting tangled in the blankets because of the marathon tossing-and-turning session she had been doing. Finally settling in on her back again, she stared up at the ceiling. Knowing he was right above her was part of her problem. She had assumed, after the way they had been interrupted this morning, that he would come to her tonight. And when he did, she was going to give in because the burning between her thighs was making her crazy. But instead, he had said goodnight and had gone upstairs. She listened intently for footsteps for hours but they never came.

Rachel kicked her leg out from under the blankets. Sleep was not happening.

She sat up on the side of the bed, rubbing her eyes. She felt in the darkness for a ponytail holder on her nightstand and pulled her hair up off her neck. Then she pushed herself off the bed. If he wasn't coming to her, _she_ would go to him.

She silently, stealthily ascended the stairs. As she stood in front of the door, her confidence faltered. But the burning, the desire remained. Soundlessly, she opened his door, snuck inside, and closed it. She stood for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Once they did, she could see him asleep on his stomach in the center of the bed. The blankets were pooled around his waist and he was shirtless. His muscular arms tucked under his pillow and his head was facing the door. Her mouth went dry at the sight, even in near-darkness.

Stepping over to the bed, she whispered, "Noah" and waited.

He didn't move.

Leaning down, she put a hand on his shoulder and gently shook as she said his name again.

He responded that time…his head turned toward her. As she came into focus, he shot upright in the bed.

"Rachel...what is it? What's wrong? Is it the baby?" His voice was laced with concern.

She shook her head and whispered "no…"

"Do you need something? Are you hungry?"

"I…I need you, Noah," she barely spoke, so nervous that her teeth were nearly chattering.

"What do you need?" In his groggy mental state, he was confused.

"You," she said again, her voice faltering. "I need you to get rid of this feeling…like I'm going to explode…."

Realization hit him and she saw his body tense up. Grabbing the blankets, he pulled them back and vaulted out of the bed. As he stood before her, she realized that he was completely nude (she should have known he would sleep naked.) Even in the moonlight, she was impressed and scared. She didn't see much their one time together…and honestly didn't remember much thanks to the alcohol that night. But _this_…she would remember _this._

"What do you feel?" His voice was low and seductive, desire evident.

She closed her eyes, embarrassment coursing through her. He stepped closer, his body inches from hers, and whispered, "tell me, Rachel. I want to hear you say it."

Completely out of her comfort zone and nearly mortified, she whispered something but he didn't hear her. He backed here against the door, then put a hand against the it, trapping her. His lips nipped at her collarbone and his hands grazed over her breasts. "Tell me…" he whispered again.

"Noah…I need you to make love to me…please…." Her face inflamed, her body on fire, he gently nipped her lips again before pulling away.

"'Bout fucking time," was his answer before he dropped his head to kiss he again. She melted against his mouth, timidly placing her hands against his chest. He grabbed one of her hands, pressing his over hers, digging her fingers into his chest. Breaking the kiss, he slid his lips over her jaw and down her neck. She whimpered at the sensation burning through her entire body.

"Do you know how bad I want you?" He whispered. She shook her head no, her whole body shaking with nervousness and desire.

"Do you know how hard you make me? So hard I can't fucking breathe." She moaned, his words more erotic than anything she had ever heard.

"Do you know how bad I've wanted to fuck you?" He reached down, lifting her nightgown over her head, and tossed it on the floor. Hooking his thumbs in her panties, he bent down so he was eye-level with them and yanked them to the floor. She cried out when she felt his fingers part her. She nearly fell when his tongue slipped against her clit, back and forth, before sliding into her center. Her fingers threaded through his hair and she held tight to him, back against the door, as he assaulted her with his tongue. When her legs started to shake, he slid his tongue up her body and stopped on her gently rounded belly, where he peppered it with gentle kisses. Rachel felt tears spring into her eyes at his very tender act in the middle of their much more carnal one.

"Noah…." She moaned, unsure of what to do but knowing she needed _something._

Wordlessly, he grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the bed. Lying down in the center of it, he pulled her down on top of him. She straddled him, placing one knee on either side of his hips. He looked up at her, her breasts small and full…_FUCK _he'd been _dreaming_ of this.

Puck slowly dragged his fingernails over her thighs, causing her to shiver. They slowly moved up her sides and then his fingertips feathered down her spine. She arched into his touch, jutting her breasts toward them. Pushing himself up on his elbow, his mouth latched onto one of her nipples and she let out an "ohhh" as his teeth grabbed at and his lips sucked at the bud. Instinctively, she ground herself against him, feeling his thick length between her thighs.

"Noah…please?" She begged him as his hands kneaded her ass.

"Tell me, Rachel…what do you need?"

"Need…you…in…me," she grunted out as she rubbed herself against him.

With a growl, he held her tight against him and rolled her to her back. Attaching his lips to hers, he spread her thighs with his knees. Never breaking the kiss, his fingers traveled down her abdomen, over the soft hair at the juncture of her thighs, and into her heat. She cried out as he slid a finger inside her. He slid it in and out a few times, testing to see how ready she was for him, and she clenched her thighs around his hand. "Please," she begged in his ear.

Never one to make a woman beg, he grabbed his thickness in his hand, positioned it at her entrance, and pushed forward slowly. She let out a rumble from somewhere deep in her chest as he slowly, deliciously filled her. His hips began a slow, gentle rhythm of sliding in…and out…and in….. Rachel writhed beneath him, her head rolling back as her hips instinctively pushed up against him.

Puck's breath was hot in her ear, "…so fucking tight….beautiful….. Not going to last…."

He gritted his teeth, trying to maintain control. She felt like molten lava around him, molding perfectly to his length and thickness and squeezing him like a vice.

On one particularly rough down thrust, Rachel grunted out, "Harder."

He slowed his hips and looked at her. "You sure…won't it hurt the baby?"

" 'S fine…the doctor said…Noah_pleasseee_…"

With a growl, he grabbed her ankle and hooked her leg over his shoulder and began pounding himself into her. His own head thrown back, he focused slowly on the intensity of the feeling of her slipping around him. He reached over and kissed her ankle because it was the only body part he could reach without breaking the intensity of his thrusts.

He felt her start to tighten around him just as she groaned out something unintelligible that sounded like "ung_ung_ung_ung_ung…." With one final thrust, she cried out his name, her walls sending a tremor around him as she rode out her orgasm. He cried out a loud "Fuuuuuck…" and exploded inside her. Shaking, he collapsed onto her even as his hips continued to slowly rotate, keeping his length still inside her. When the quivering inside both of them slowed, he pulled out of her and flopped over onto his back.

Neither one said anything for the longest time.

Finally, he broke the silence by simply saying, "Fucking incredible. And worth the wait...definitely worth every cold shower…"

Rachel smiled into the darkness. Her whole body was tingling and her legs felt like they were filled with jelly. She never realized that sex could be like _that._ That burning feeling in her groin was gone, thankfully, but after _that…that amazingness…_ she knew it would be back. And to top it all off? She was now starving.

"Noah? That made me need a massive bowl of chocolate ice cream…C'mon."

He groaned in protest and tried to wrap his arm around her to keep her in the bed with him. Instead, she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of bed.

10 minutes later, they were standing totally nude in the kitchen, lit only by moonlight, spooning ice cream into their mouths. As Puck watched her grinning happily at her bowl of ice cream with her face full of satisfaction, his eyes travelled down her tiny, beautiful body and settled on the baby bump. A single word ran through his head: _His. _Unnerved by the possessiveness coursing through his body at that moment, he put down his bowl of ice cream, removed hers from her hands, and pressed his body against hers.

There, in the moonlit kitchen at 3am, he taught her the art of making love against the kitchen cabinets…


	8. A New Phase

**A/N: So I probably won't be posting anything tomorrow. I'm going to make an attempt to sketch out where the rest of this story is going because there is SO much that still needs to happen and I'm starting to lose track of all the stupid notes I have lying around on scraps of paper. Plus I need to work around here…so you're getting another smut-laden chapter today since I already have it done. ;)**

* * *

By the time Monday morning rolled around again, Rachel's thighs hurt. She had learned the hard way (literally) that once Noah Puckerman got going, he wasn't easily stopped. _Not_ that she was complaining. In fact, as she walked into the Life Sciences building that morning, she felt marvelous.

Across town, Finn noticed an immediate change in Puck because he was two hours late. Puck was _never_ late for work. Puck strolled in, grabbed his coveralls, and pulled them up. Finn wandered over to him, took one look at the confident smirk on his best friend's face, and gave him a high-five.

While they worked on fixing the damaged fender of a Porche, Finn said, "So she finally gave into you, huh?

Puck grinned. "Not that I am going to discuss the private details of sex with my wife with the likes of you but _yes_, we have finally crossed that particular bridge." Puck leaned against the car. "And it was about time, too, dammit!"

"Sooo...how was it is?"

"Dude, I am not giving you details. But it was fucking amazing, okay?"

Finn smiled sheepishly and his face got a slightly red.

"What?" Puck said. And then it dawned on him that Quinn and he had gone out of the weekend. "Ohh...you had a date with Quinn the waitress this weekend, didn't you?"

Finn nodded.

"And how was it?"

Finn looked starry-eyed. "She is gorgeous, amazing, sexy.... oh God... I think I'm in love..."

"Did you tap it?" Puck asked, removing the tools he needed from his toolbox.

"Dude! I don't fuck and tell either!"

"Whatever man…"

Puck and Finn walked back towards the car they were supposed to work on and Finn looked over at Puck and said, "Yeah…I totally tapped it."

This time, Puck gave Finn the high-five.

* * *

Rachel sat at a table in the student commons area, typing on her laptop during her free hour. She was finished with school in just seven more weeks and was trying to stay on top of things. However, she was useless today. Concentration was not in the cards, she realized as she leaned back in her chair, put her hands on her belly, and closed her eyes. Images of the weekend flashed through her mind: Noah making love to her standing up against the kitchen cabinets...Noah waking her up early Sunday morning to make love again...

Rachel felt herself grow warm just thinking about it. Sex with him was better than she had imagined. He was an expert lover...skilled in every way and in every area. She knew that she had a lot to learn and that her experience couldn't compare but Noah had assure her, as he gently slipped into her wet warmth last night but before he had begun his rhythmic thrusting, that he would teach her whatever she needed and wanted to know. Just the thought of those words and their implications made her so hot.

Rachel was staring off into space when Mercedes walked up to her at the table.

"Rachel...hey!"

Rachel said nothing – she was staring at the wall with a strange look on her face.

Mercedes tapped her on the shoulder and Rachel jumped, turning to meet her eyes.

"Oh, hi Mercedes. How are you?"

"I'm great...but I think a better question is, how are _you_? You look positively radiant."

"I...am...fabulous," Rachel said slowly for added effect.

Mercedes pulled out a chair and sat down. "I can't imagine that pregnancy is what is making you act so goofy...what gives?"

Rachel leaned forward and whispered, "Noah and I finally made love this weekend."

Eyes wide, Mercedes said, "You hadn't been before now?"

Rachel shook her head. "Not since the night I got pregnant. And _that_ was my first time, period."

"Oh hell no! You serious?"

Rachel nodded, biting her lower lip.

Mercedes leaned forward. "So how was it?"

Rachel blushed brightly. "Ohh...amazing...perfect...toe-curling. So good, in fact, that I can't wait for him to get home tonight. I can't promise that he's going to be allowed to eat dinner first."

Laughing, Mercedes looked around. "You wanna blow this joint and go to the mall?"

For the first time in a very long time, Rachel did something totally out of character: she ditched class to go shopping.

* * *

When Mercedes and Rachel arrived at the mall, the first shop they went to, of course, was a shoe store. Mercedes spent 45 minutes trying shoes on and convinced Rachel to buy a cute pair of silver open-toed heels she had deemed "sexy as hell."

As they walked past a store with some bras and panties in the window, Mercedes has a thought. Turning to Rachel, she said, "You need something sexy to wear for him...and my gut tells me you don't got _shit_ at home, do you?"

"Nope, you're right. I don't have anything. I've never had a reason to wear anything sexy before now. Besides, I don't know what Noah even likes...."

"Oh, come ON Rachel, we're talking about Puck here. I am pretty sure if you were dressed in _anything_ even halfway seductive, he'd have you butt-ass naked in three minutes. The man does have a reputation."

Rachel nodded. He definitely lived up to his reputation too, she thought.

Mercedes put her hand on Rachel's arm and pulled her along. "C'mon Rachel, we're going to get you something that will make Noah Puckerman's eyes fall out his damn head."

As she was pulled along, Rachel sputtered, "But Mercedes, Victoria's Secret is back the other way!"

Mercedes just laughed. "Honey…we're not going to Victoria's Secret. They aren't slutty enough. We're heading to the other side of the mall... to Fredrick's of Hollywood."

Her face blazing with embarrassment, Rachel followed, slightly perturbed at the idea that the idea of pleasing Noah could make her dress like a tramp, even while feeling completely excited about what his reaction would be. Ohh, the things that man made her feel!

Walking inside the lingerie store, Rachel turned various shades of pink, red, and finally settled on purple. There was an unbelievable _lack_ of clothing on the hangers, just tiny scraps made of various fabrics and of various colors.

As they moved from rack to rack, Mercedes asked, "So what does he like?"

Rachel thought for a moment. "What doesn't he like? He just likes sex I think...period."

"Well, is there a body part of yours he seems really in to?"

Re-reddening, Rachel whispered, "He loves my baby bump...he loves to kiss it..."

Mercedes smiled, thinking it was both romantic and borderline kinky at the same time. _Leave it to the infamous Puck..._

They walked further back into the store and Mercedes saw IT on a model.

She pointed and Rachel grinned. Noah would _love_ that.

The headless mannequin was wearing a simple lace teddie...with one very obvious exception – there was a large triangle pattern cut out right where her baby bump was, which was designed to accentuate the belly.

Mercedes whispered, "You'd have that on for about 45 seconds."

Rachel whispered back, "Sold."

They both laughed as Rachel pulled a black one off the rack and paid for it, red-faced and slightly humiliated. That is, until she thought about how he would react in it....

* * *

Rachel was a nervous wreck when she got home. He wouldn't be home for a few hours still but she was already aroused just thinking about the night ahead. The weekend had been so amazing that now she felt like he was in her system... And _he_ was the only medicine she needed to cure _him_. Having never had many romantic relationships before – and certainly no previous sexual relationships - the feelings were strange and thrilling.

At 7pm, she fixed a pot of soup and ate a bowl of it. Turning it off, she covered it so that if wanted some once he got home, he could have it.

At 7:30, she showered and shaved her legs. When she got out, she slathered her body in shimmery body lotion that made her skin glisten. As she pinned her hair up into a tousled bun (she had quickly learned that long hair gets in the way of sex), she realized her hands were shaking. She was about to seduce her husband. Sure, she had gone to him the other night but she was literally so turned on that she barely knew what she was doing. Tonight, she was extremely aware of her actions...

As she slid out of her towel and into her teddie, she checked herself in the mirror. The cutout framed her baby bump perfectly. _Oh yeah, he is going to DIE. _

Rachel paced nervously in her teddie until she saw the headlights of his car pull into the driveway. Taking a deep breath, she situated herself by her bedroom door, out of his line of sight.

She heard his key in the lock and felt the blood rushing through her ears.

He walked in and called, "Rachel, I'm home. Hope you didn't cook because I stopped at Mickey D's on the way home...."

As he spoke, she stepped away from her door and walked around the stairs and into the foyer. He was still standing there and when he saw her, he did a double take.

"What. The. Fuck?" He whispered, even as he leered at her.

She was a fucking vision. Her hair was pulled up and that lacy thing she was wearing? _Good God..._ His eyes swept over her breasts, covered in black lace. They slid down her abdomen and his mouth turned to sawdust as he saw her belly peeking out from the large opening in the lace.

She shifted from one foot to the other and whispered, "Do you like?"

He was in her face less than a second later, his hands sliding all over her body.

"Do I like? Are you fucking kidding me?" His hands slid up her arms and he grasped the lace on her shoulders before jerking the entire thing down and off her body. _Yup...45 seconds. Mercedes was right_, Rachel though as he kissed her roughly, his hands cupping her breasts, sliding over her belly, grabbing her ass.... He was everywhere, the heat in his hands burning everywhere he touched. His touch was so hot that she felt like her skin would blister.

"Rachel…you did this for me?" He whispered as he trailed hot kisses over her shoulders.

She nodded but said nothing, her flesh too on fire to speak.

"You thought about this all day, didn't you? You've wanted me all day, haven't you?"

She squeaked out a "yesss…"

He grinned against her neck. "Do you know I've barely thought of anything else all day? I need you, baby… I was hard even before I walked in the door."

His words, the very fact that he loved to use words to arouse her, made her groan.

Pulling her flush against him, he barked in her ear, "Tell me to fuck you."

Her eyes became huge, horrified at the idea of allowing those words to even mingle in her vocabulary.

He ran his lips over her breasts, swirling his tongue around the hard peaks of her nipples.

His hands disappeared from her body and she heard his zipper slide down. Looking down, she watched him reach in and free his rock-hard dick from his boxers. His hand then slid between her thighs and he roughly began plunging two fingers inside her.

Rachel moaned his name in a desperate attempt for him to give her what she so desperately needed. Her hand snaked down his body, circling his dick as she tried to pull him to her.

He smacked her hand away.

Puck picked her up and grunted out "Tell me you want me to fuck you" again as shoved her against the wall, his teeth biting into her shoulder. She cried out at the pain-pleasure shot through her.

"Say it, Rach..."

She said nothing in response, just groaned hotly against his shoulder.

"Say it. If you don't say it, you won't get _it_," he ground his erection against her core and she cried, begging for him to take her.

His dick in his hand, he positioned it at her entrance.

"Fucking say it, Rachel, or I won't move," he growled forcefully. The tension in his voice sent shivers of excitement down her body and pooled inside her already sopping core.

She shut her eyes, her breathing ragged. He held her ass in one hand, her body pressed against the wall, his dick rubbing against her wetness. With a cry of frustration, she finally pleaded, "Fuck me, Noah...."

With a guttural groan, he plowed into her. They both yelled as he filled her completely. Her breasts arched against him and he captured her nipples in his mouth, one by one. He was very rough tonight...Rachel could tell that he had been aroused for most of the day because he was hell-bent on making her cum as fast as possible. As he slid in and out of her, he demanded, "Now was that so fucking difficult?" Then he captured her mouth in a searing kiss. The roughness of his shirt rubbed against her nipples and she could feel the sandpaper-like texture of the denim of his jeans rubbing against her thighs as he plundered her. He heard her shriek against his mouth as her walls convulsed around him. Pressing her hard against the wall, he emptied himself into her.

As they came down from their ecstasy, he leaned his sweaty forehead against her and smiled. "I'm sorry that was so quick...."

She pressed her head against the cool wall and drawled, "Do I look like I care? That was...."

"...fucking hot," he finished for her.

"Yeah, that...." she sighed.

He slid from her body and carried her into the bathroom, where he sat her down on the tile. Grabbing a cloth, he cleaned himself off and passed it to her. He watched her wipe her thighs and then hang the cloth quickly over the tub.

Once they were both clean, he put his arm around her and they walked into the bedroom. He pulled back the blankets and slid in, motioning for her to join him. She slid in and put her head in the crook of his shoulder.

Snapping off the light, they both laid in silence.

After a few minutes, Rachel broke the silence. "I think you should move in here with me full time."

Puck smirked in the darkness. "I think that makes sense...considering..."

He pulled her tight to him and kissed her forehead and then softly, sweetly on the lips. Inexplicably, her heart started pounding and her eyes filled with tears. _Stupid hormones_.

She couldn't deny that he made her feel wanted, beautiful, extraordinary - like she could touch the stars. She couldn't deny that his passion for the baby made her even more excited for the future. But everything else he made her feel? That, _right now_, she couldn't identify.


	9. Tenuous Times

**A/N: So we've already established that I'm a liar. I lie all the time and say I'm not going to post but then I do anyway. Turns out, it only took an hour to get my house clean (it helps that we live in a house the size of a postage stamp). And I think I have the direction of the story pretty well planned out. **

**Saw a picture of Mark and Naya at the Glee InStyle party that was held last night. Oh yeah, they are DEFINITELY back together (his hand on her ass was pretty much confirmation.) **

* * *

She was a wanton woman. She was a slutty, immoral _Jezebel_. As Rachel sat in the bathtub on a Wednesday night, the jets sending water swirling around her, she couldn't help but think of herself as a horny harlot. In the span of a few weeks, she had gone from sharing a house with a virtual roommate to having more sex than she thought was humanly possible with said former roommate. She thought back to the previous evening, during which Noah had patiently instructed her on _**exactly**_ how he liked to receive oral stimulation and suddenly, she would feel that now all-too familiar tingling in her groin. He made her body feel things she never imagined that she could even feel. But then sometimes at night, now that they were sharing a bed, she would wake up to find his arm around her, his hand gently curled around her belly, as if trying to soothe their child to sleep with his touch. She could see, even as he slept, how much he was in love with their baby. And her eyes would leak with tears as she thought about her own father, who she was sure didn't love her nearly as much _now_ as Noah already loved their unborn child. She found herself conflicted by the two men in her life: one had spent his life protecting his reputation and providing her with all the material needs she could ever want; the other, barely more than a stranger but quickly becoming _something else_, who wanted desperately to be a father like the one he never had and like she only wished she had been lucky enough to have had. Her father was polished, controlled, and calculating. Noah was a loose cannon, crude, crass, completely unrefined. But it only took a moment – just a glance, even – to determine which one was the real man. And _that _analysis of Noah Puckerman had absolutely zero to do with his unquenchable sex drive.

Groaning, she pushed her thoughts away as she realized she was venturing into dangerous territory that she wasn't quite yet ready to explore. She reached along the side of the tub, snagging her iPod, and popped the ear buds in her ears. Dialing down to her favorite playlist, she turned the volume up, closed her eyes, and sunk deeper into the water.

Puck was never so happy to find out that a professor was sick. His normal 2.5-hour Business Law class had been cancelled because Dr. Phillips was apparently projectile vomiting all over his office. As he walked into the house, he was completely exhausted. Thanks to his newly expanded relationship with Rachel, he was getting considerably less sleep than he had been before. Not that he minded, of course. _On the contrary…._

He walked into the kitchen, hoping to find food. He knew it was early and she probably hadn't even fed herself yet. Heading toward her – wait, THEIR – bedroom, he heard it for the first time: she was actually singing. Sure, he had heard her hum a bar or two, sing a line or two in passing, but he had yet, in the three months that they had been under the same roof, heard her REALLY sing. They shared a love of music but as of yet, hadn't shared that love together. As he stepped into the darkened bedroom, he walked toward the light of the open bathroom door and stood silently, listening to her belt out a love song from the bathtub. To say that he was blown away was an understatement. She had the clearest, most amazing voice he'd ever heard. The very sound gave him chills because she was _that good._ No wonder she wanted Broadway…Broadway _needed _her. A twinge of guilt came over him as he thought about the fact that her prospects of Broadway were considerably less now that he and the baby were in the picture. But life had a way of changing, undulating, morphing, and surprising even the most driven, prepared people. And if anyone could adapt to what life lobbed at her, it was Rachel Puckerman. He may not know everything there was to know about her yet but he did know _that_ without a doubt.

Deciding to make his presence known, he stepped into the bathroom and leaned against the sink. She was luxuriating in the tub with her eyes closed. However, she felt his stare settle on her and one eye popped open. She pulled her ear buds out of her ear and gently dropped her iPod to the floor.

"Don't stop singing on my account. You're amazing," he said, studying her breasts as they bobbed above the water. The Rachel of a few weeks ago would have hurriedly trying to hide her exposed flesh. This Rachel knew that _this _man knew her body far too well to even try to hide so she didn't bother.

"Thank you," she said shyly.

"Seriously, you are fucking fantastic. Why haven't I heard you sing before now?"

Rachel sat up a little father in the tub, ignoring his lustful stare for the time being. "Honestly? I hadn't really felt much like singing until recently. Singing was my life…until…." She looked down at her ever-expanding belly. "When this came along, singing had to take a backseat to the reality of life. But recently, I have felt like starting again. I know…" her voice faltered, "I know that I can't chase my dreams in the same way I did before but I've always been exceptionally determined and driven. I know that there are dreams out there I haven't even dreamt of yet. So until I find them, I have to keep singing." She stopped her speech and met his hazel gaze, her face reddening slightly. "Does that sound stupid?"

He grinned, pulling his shirt over his head. "That sounds exactly like what you should say. "

Dropping the rest of his clothes, he said, "scootch up," and stepped in behind her.

Sliding down into the warm water, he pulled her flush against him and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his head on the top of hers, enjoying the warm water and her hot body pressed against him.

"You seem tired," she said quietly.

"I am…"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "We can turn in early tonight if you want. You know I could sleep. I practically spend every free moment sleeping…and…"

"And having sex?"

She laughed and pinched his thigh. "Yes, but that is entirely your fault."

Puck let out a throaty laugh in her ear. "I think you take some of the blame."

Innocently, she said, "Maybe so…"

She threw a washcloth back his direction and he grabbed it from her. She had intended for him to wash himself but he began dragging the cloth over her body instead. Her head lulled back against his chest and they sat quietly for a few minutes, his hands ghosting lightly over her body before settling on her belly and resting there. In these times, it was hard to remember that they weren't even in a relationship. Yes, they were married; yes, they had sex frequently. But there had been no admittance of feelings, if there even _were _any, no professions of love, no discussions of "us"…just discussions about the little one who bonded them but had yet to greet the world. The idea that so much still needed to be figured out was both daunting and thrilling to Rachel. It made her feel alive.

"Rach?" He whispered in her ear.

"Yes, Noah?"

"Turn around."

She stood up in the tub and slid back down facing him. He pulled her to him, kissed her intently, and soon introduced another act into her ever-expanding repertoire – bathtub sex. As she came apart with him inside her a while later, water swirling hotly between and around their bodies, she again had to think: _I am a disgraceful, _lucky_ woman._

* * *

Later that night, Rachel felt it for the very first time: the baby's kick. She had felt fluttering before, a gentle, butterfly-like feeling but this was different. This was hard enough to jolt her awake. She sat up in bed and shook Puck awake. Placing a hand on her belly, he felt it too. He grinned in the dark, his hand pressed tightly to her belly. As he felt the kick again, he whispered, "That's gotta be a boy. Those are football legs."

They waited for a few more minutes but it seemed the baby had gotten comfortable again as the kicking stopped. Dropping his hand, he kissed her on the nose, and they both fell back to sleep.

* * *

A few days after the first baby kick, Rachel and Puck found themselves back at the doctor's office for the 18-week ultrasound. Puck was buzzing with excitement, saying he couldn't wait to see how "the little Puckster" was growing. Rachel just rolled her eyes and smiled at the fact that he had recently chosen to start calling their child "the little Puckster."

Once they were situated and Rachel was prepped, images of the baby began appearing on the screen. They could both see the changes that had occurred in the six-weeks that had passed since the last time they had a glimpse into her womb.

"It's getting so big," Rachel whispered to Puck, who was staring intently at the screen.

"Do you want to know what it is?" The technician questioned, glancing at the young parents.

Puck perked up. "You can tell?"

The technician smiled. "Sure can…it's as plain as day to me right now."

Puck looked over at Rachel. "Whaddya think?"

"It would make planning the nursery easier," she acknowledged, able to tel that he was dying to know.

"You can tell us," Rachel finally told the technician after studying Puck's pleading eyes.

"Right there…see that?" She pointed to the screen. They both nodded. "That is a little penis."

"Hot damn!" Puck shot to his feet. "I knew the little Puckster was a boy!" He turned to Rachel and said, "I told you he didn't kick like a girl!"

Rachel felt her eyes fill with tears. She was having a son. They were having a little boy.

Puck was beaming, literally almost vibrating from the sheer joy of the idea of having a son.

A few minutes later, Puck was clutching a picture of his son's genitals like he had the winning lottery ticket. He stood by the door, staring at the picture of his son for the 15th time, while Rachel paid the receptionist and confirmed her next appointment.

"Puck?" he heard an unfamiliar voice say.

Looking up, he was eye-to-eye with a cute redheaded woman in scrubs who looked vaguely familiar.

"Yeah?" He asked, slightly disconcerted that some woman in a baby doctor's office knew him.

"Hi…how have you been? You do remember me, right?"

He looked down at her purple scrubs shirt quickly and caught her nametag. Mindy. _Mindy…Mindy…. _He tried to jog his memory. _Mindy…Mindy…_ His eyes grew wide as he remembered. _Bindy Mindy!_ The girl could lock her legs around her own head practically, hence the nickname he'd given her. They had gone on exactly three dates and had sex half a dozen times before he grew bored with the exchange and had moved on, ignoring her phone calls until she gave up.

He stood there awkwardly, wishing Rachel would hurry the fuck up.

"What are _you_ doing _here_?" She asked, looking around for some obvious reason as to why Noah Puckerman would be in the doctor's office where she worked.

Just then, the ultrasound technician came through the door. "Oh Mr. Puckerman, I'm glad you're still here. Here is the ultrasound DVD…I completely forgot to give it to you. Again, congratulations on your son and we will see you and your wife again soon."

Puck thanked the technician, hoping Bindy Mindy would be long gone when he turned back around. Unfortunately, she was still standing there. But now her flirty smile had been replaced by a horrified stare, like she'd just witnessed a car accident. _Dammit._

Rachel decided to thankfully walk up to him at that moment, paying no attention to the redhead in the purple scrubs.

"Ready to go, Noah?" She asked.

He cleared his throat. "Uh…sure."

They started to leave when Mindy called out, "So I guess you won't be calling me for another hook-up then, will you?"

Puck ignored her but Rachel turned back toward the woman, who waggled her fingers in Rachel's direction and then walked away.

They walked - actually, Puck stalked - to the parking lot in silence. As they got in the car, Rachel asked, "Who…who was that woman?"

Puck started the car. "Just some chick I used to know."

"Did you sleep with her?"

Puck sighed loudly. Turning toward Rachel, he said, "Yeah, I did. But that was over a year ago. Couldn't even remember her name until I read her nametag."

He maneuvered the car back towards the highway but could tell that Rachel was still thinking.

"She was very pretty."

Puck said nothing, wishing the whole "Bindy Mindy" incident could be re-filed under "forgotten."

"Would you like to have sex with her again?"

Puck's head swiveled over to Rachel.

"What the fuck? Why would you even ask that?"

Rachel stared at the DVD case in her lap. "I don't know…she is very beautiful…and she's not fat and pregnant."

"Are you serious, Rachel? Are you really fucking serious?" His hands gripped the wheel.

"What…I mean, I know how you used to be and I can't help but…"

"Would you please stop?" he asked, anger lacing through his voice. Could she really be asking him this _now_? He drove for a few seconds more before he said, "I don't want that shit anymore, okay? Personally, I've been having some really fucking great sex with my pregnant wife who also happens to be sexy as hell and incredibly horny. So give it a rest, okay?"

She squeaked out, "Okay, sorry…" but stared out the window. Running into one of Noah's "women" unnerved her. He had quite a history and a reputation before she and the baby had been forced into his life. She couldn't help but think eventually, sex with her would get tiring and he would start to miss the way things were, baby boy or no baby boy.

Puck was still a little pissed when they got home. So he did the only thing he knew to do: he took Rachel against the wall just inside the door. One long look at that baby bump was all it ever took anyway. Just minutes later, as he was pulling back out of her, spent, and she was readjusting her clothing, he said, "I hope you know that _this_ is exactly where I want to be…not with fucking Bindy Mindy."

He started to walk away and Rachel laughed, following hotly on his heels. "Bindy Mindy? Oh, Noah Puckerman, _do tell_…"

* * *

**A/N2: Shout out to KittyGoddess415 for the idea of Puck running into an ex. Thought it would fit well here. I'm all for suggestions, by the way. If you've got 'em, hit me up! I have a pretty detailed plan of the major things I want to happen throughout the story but a lot of the "little" stuff comes out of nowhere or through suggestions from my awesome readers/friends.**


	10. A Night Out

**A/N: Glee was renewed for A second season! That means we get 22 more episodes on top of the 9 that we are all impatiently waiting until April for! I am SOOO happy... just thinking about all the Pucky goodness that there is to look forward to now!**

**And Puck's sister was originally in this chapter but to keep it in the word count that I like chapter-wise, she was bumped until next chapter!**

* * *

The morning after the 18-week ultrasound, Puck was still grinning like a fool. Rachel noticed his huge smile even as they sat at the table, eating breakfast.

"What about Thor?" Puck asked, spooning cereal into his mouth.

Rachel looked up from her book.

"Thor? Thor what?"

"Thor? For the baby's name?"

"Noah Puckerman, we are not naming our son Thor."

"Fine…"

He went back to studying his Fruity Pebbles.

A few minutes later, he smiled at his own brilliance and tried again.

"What about Napoleon?"

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Waldorf?"

"Why are you being annoying?"

Puck sighed. "Look, we're having a boy...Boys have got to have tough, strong names. The kid _has got_ to be a stud like his old man."

Rachel just shot him an irritated glance over the top of her book.

"Spinelli…Spinelli Puckerman?" he offered after he had emptied his bowl and drank the milk.

"I hate you."

He bellowed out a laugh at her obvious annoyance. This baby-naming thing was going to be fun. While he definitely wasn't serious, the horrible names were often fun and they irked the hell out of Rachel. He loved it when Rachel gave him that look (the one where she looked like she was close to stabbing him) and maybe, just maybe, they'd stumble upon an agreeable name early on in the pregnancy.

* * *

A few hours later, now settled into work, Puck grabbed the sonogram shot from his toolbox and shoved it in Finn's face. "Check that out, man!"

Finn looked curiously at the black and green image and said, "Yeah…that's a cool blob, man."

Puck shook his head. "That's my baby, you idiot!"

Finn took the image in his hands and studied it. "Can you tell what it is from this shot?"

Rolling his eyes, Puck said, "Are you fucking kidding me, dude? Right there," he was pointing, "is my kid's dick! He's packing the Puckerman junk, man!"

Finn's eyes grew huge. "You're having a boy!"

"Shit yeah! I woulda been cool with a girl but…man…I really wanted a boy."

"What did Rachel say?"

Puck shrugged his shoulders. "She doesn't care. She's just happy that he's healthy so far."

Finn looked at the photo again. "I still don't see it…"

Puck ripped the photo from his hands and pointed again. "Right. There….See? It's huge. He's gonna be gifted just like his Pops!"

Finn just shook his head. He still didn't see it. But he was amused by how proud Puck was of his son's barely visible penis. He couldn't wait to tell Quinn. Ohh, Quinn…

"Hey man," Finn began, trying to change the subject from baby penises to women, "Quinn really wants to get together with you and Rachel. She'd love to have another girl to hang out with. She's new in town and doesn't know a lot of people."

"Sure dude, I'll check with Rachel but I don't know why we can't get together this weekend. We won't be able to stay out too late, though, because Rachel likes to turn in early."

"Yeah, uh huh…so she can "sleep" right?" Finn asked, utilizing air quotations.

"Yes, you douche, so she can sleep…after she gets some of the aforementioned Puckerman junk, of course."

"God, you're annoying today," Finn groaned.

Puck looked wounded. "That's what Rachel said!"

* * *

At nearly noon on the dot, Rachel's cell phone rang. Realizing that it was Noah, she quickly picked it up.

"Hi, Noah...anything wrong?"

"How about Maxwell?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked.

"No," she giggled.

"Lamont Sanford."

"Are you watching "Sanford & Son" on your lunch break?"

"Mayyybeeee..." he said with a huge grin. _This is so much fun_.

"No...And no to Fred and Grady too, so don't even try it."

"Roger Federer?"

"Roger Federer Puckerman? Have you been smoking crack?"

Puck relaxed back in his seat. "Fine...fine...but I will come up with some more great names later."

"God help us both...Bye, Noah!"

"Later, babe," he said, clicking his phone off. Smiling like he'd just shoved a geek into a port-a-potty, he went back to work.

* * *

By the time Friday night rolled around, Puck had suggested so many horrible names that Rachel was praying he would be struck with laryngitis. As it got dark, they were making their way towards Finn's house so that the four of them could go out for a night on the town. The foursome had decided to go to a local club so they could hang out, listen to music, and dance. Rachel was looking forward to meeting Quinn. Finn was a fantastic guy and she knew that any woman he picked would probably be as equally as wonderful. And secretly, she was hoping to make another friend. Since marrying Noah, her world had become slightly less lonely and she hoped that streak continued. Friends, surprisingly, were a nice commodity to have.

When they knocked on the door, Finn jerked it open, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

He motioned for Puck and Rachel to come in and they followed him in. Pointing to a beautiful blond woman on the couch, he said, "Quinn" through a mouth full of foamy bubbles. Then he disappeared into the bathroom again.

Quinn stood up and walked over to them both. "Nice to see you again, Puck," she said, giving him a hug.

She looked at Rachel, who was standing next to Puck, looking down at her sandals.

"Quinn, this is Rachel...." Rachel lifted her eyes and was greeted with a warm smiling face staring back at her.

Quinn grabbed her hand and said, "I have heard so much about you. Finn thinks you are just the greatest thing and apparently a saint for putting up with Puck...Let's chat..." She dragged Rachel toward the couch just as Finn came back in from brushing his teeth.

"You 'bout ready to go, dude?" Puck asked, his eyes fixed to Rachel's small form on the couch. She was engaged in a conversation, smiling and animated. Her skin was practically glowing in the dimly lit room.

"Yep," Finn said, also staring at them. Then he added, "God, our women are beautiful."

"Smokin'," Puck suggested, eyeing the way Rachel's yellow sleeveless top curled around her breasts and then framed her stomach. The fact that she was wearing one of her ridiculously short skirts with legs for miles didn't hurt either. He was going to have to be sure to tell her how sexy she looked later. Stepping to the couch, Puck reached down and touched Rachel's shoulder. "We're ready to go, babe...."

She and Quinn stood up together and headed towards the door, discussing some stupid musical about a bunch of witches, ignoring the guys the whole time.

"Dude...I think we're going to be on our own date tonight because they are too busy talking," Finn laughed as they all walked toward Finn's car.

The girls climbed in back so they could continue to chat and the guys sat up front, discussing guitar riffs and video games all the way to the club.

When they arrived, everyone piled out and Puck snagged Rachel by the waist. Finn grabbed Quinn's hand and they walked in together, Puck held tightly to Rachel, his arm curled around her waist, the whole time. As they got near the door, he leaned over and said, "I meant to tell you that you look fucking fantastic tonight. I cannot fucking wait to get you back home and _out_ of those clothes."

Rachel blushed as his hand reached around and groped her behind.

"Noah! We're in public!" she hissed.

He bent down and brushed his lips against hers, whispering, "Who the fuck cares?"

Laughing and a little more than slightly aroused, Rachel walked with him until they found an empty table at the edge of the large swath of dance floor. The club was packed for a Friday night and the music was thumping.

They settled down, Puck got drink orders for everyone, and he headed off toward the bar. Rachel and Quinn resumed their car conversation and by the time Puck returned a few minutes later, Finn was rolling his eyes.

"Dude, we gotta get them to dance or something. They won't stop talking about makeup and shoes and probably their periods and shit," Finn looked pained, like he was being denied time with his Quinn.

"C'mon," Puck's breath was warm in Rachel's ear. "Let's dance."

She smiled at Quinn, who stood to join Finn, and they headed to the dance floor.

Puck wasn't shocked that Rachel was a good dancer. The beautiful, toned muscular body of hers told him that she had spent a fair amount of time dancing (prior to his knocking her up, of course.) _He _wasn't the best in the world but he managed to keep up, despite the distractions of her swaying hips or the rising and falling of her breasts. And he felt much better about his own movements once he looked over at tall, gangly Finn attempting to dance. All those years of high school glee club did very little in the way of actually giving Finn some rhythm. _Poor bastard._

When a slow song came on, Puck mentally cheered, grabbed Rachel's hips, and pulled her tightly to him. She wrapped her arms around his chest and leaned into him.

"You having a good time?"

She nodded. "I really like Quinn. She's beautiful, intelligent, and interesting. Finn has good taste."

"Yeah. He seems totally into her. I haven't seen him act this stupid over a woman in quite a while, if ever."

They danced for a few minutes, pressed close together. Softly, Puck said, "I just realized that you and I really don't ever go out, do we? Other than to the movies…"

"Nope...but that's really okay, Noah. I like staying at home...I like what we do."

Puck smiled against her forehead. "If you mean the sex, well yeah, I like that we spend a lot of our free time doing that, too."

She playfully swatted his backside, before her hand slid down and settled low on his back, where she moved her hands in slow, massaging circles. He pressed his groin against her and growled into her ear, "Don't start something we can't finish here. If you weren't pregnant, we'd borrow Finn's keys and I'd drag you to the backseat but _**my**_ baby mama deserves better than that."

Rachel innocently batted her eyes, her hand sliding from his back to the front of his jeans, right over his zipper, where she pressed down. "I can't touch you without it leading to sex?"

"You are such a cocktease," he groaned, capturing her lips with his in a deep kiss.

Across the dance floor, Quinn eyed Rachel and Puck.

"Finn, I know you said their marriage isn't real but it looks pretty real to me!"

He glanced in the direction she was pointing and laughed. Rachel and Puck were in a full lip-lock in the middle of the dance floor.

"I know, Quinn. The whole thing is weird. Puck got paid an insane amount of money to marry her but so far, he hasn't touched it. He is so excited about his son that he's been acting like a four-year-old all week and I swear, they have sex like three times a day from the way Puck talks."

Quinn watched the couple for a moment. "She's in love with him...I can tell."

Finn furrowed his brow. "You really think so?"

"Oh, I know so. I know that look."

Finn shrugged, pulling her closer to him. "Let's talk about you and me...that is far more entertaining."

Puck, after what felt like hours dancing, finally told Rachel that he needed a beer and dragged her back towards their table. Her face was flushed from all the activity and she felt great. She took a drink of her Sprite, now half-warm and sitting on the table. Quinn and Finn joined them moments later. Rachel saw Puck repeatedly glancing over to the bar area at the large TV mounted above the bartender. Finn's eyes traveled in that direction, too.

"Boys, is there a game on?" Quinn questioned.

Both guys nodded, their eyes straining to see the screen.

"You can go watch it if you want...Quinn and I are going to go back on the dance floor."

Puck and Finn grinned at each other, did one of their stupid little fist-bumps, and headed off towards the bar.

Giggling, Rachel and Quinn returned to the packed dance floor.

Not long after they began dancing to a fast song, two college-aged guys approached them and began dancing close by. One of them, a tall blond, moved entirely too close to Rachel. Leaning down, he said, "I'm Tom and you are beautiful."

She smiled coolly up at him, leery of a man who would be hitting on a pregnant woman. Just to make sure he realized what he was doing, she pressed her hand to her belly, accentuating the fact that she was with child. She was sure that would scare him off. Tom's eyes followed her hands down, his eyes glazing over. Rachel immediately knew her action had been the wrong thing to do. Lustfully staring at her, he whispered, "I have always wanted to fuck a pregnant woman...what do you say?" Rachel could smell the alcohol heavy on his breath and she had to fight back a gag. Just then, she felt his hand slide around her body toward her thigh. She squeaked and jumped back.

He stepped forward, trying to capture Rachel's body closer to his again. "Come on, honey." He reached for her, stumbling over his own feet, and grabbed Rachel by the shoulders for support. Two seconds later, he was sprawled on the floor and a very furious, fierce-looking Puck was standing next to Rachel with balled fists. The music never stopped and only a few people even noticed the man lying dumbly floor.

Puck glared down at him. "Try keeping your hands off my pregnant wife, you asshole."

The guy looked up at Puck and then over at Rachel. He pushed himself off the floor, raising his hands in a truce-like manner. "Sorry man…didn't know she was married. She's not wearing a wedding ring." He then skulked off, disappearing into the crowd. Rachel looked down at her naked ring finger. She and Puck never had exchanged wedding bands. The preposterous nature of the ceremony hardly called for a ring exchange so they hadn't bothered. For the first time, though, she wished she had one on. Maybe then, this uncomfortable scene could have been avoided.

Finn and Quinn joined them at that moment and Finn, noticing the vein bulging in Puck's forehead, said, "Let's get out of here!"

They all left and silently piled into the car.

No one said much on the short ride back to Finn's place. When they arrived, Rachel and Quinn exchanged numbers and hugged while Finn and Puck said their goodbyes with few words.

The ride back to their house was nearly wordless until they were almost home. Rachel could see that Puck was gripping the steering wheel, practically white-knuckled, so she finally said, "Are you okay, Noah?"

For a moment, she didn't think he had heard her. But then his voice cut through the silence in the car when he said, "You didn't have to invite it, you know?"

Rachel's head swiveled to look at him. "What? Invite what? The guy hitting on me and grabbing my thigh? How did I invite that?"

Puck turned to look out the window, trying to avoid Rachel's hot glare. "If you would have dressed a little more like an expectant mother should dress, this wouldn't have happened."

Rachel's hands shot into the air. "Are you serious? Are you really serious? Three hours ago, you loved this outfit so much you practically tried to rip it off me."

"Well in hindsight, it was inappropriate."

"Fuck you, Noah Puckerman," Rachel spat out, for once having no problem using the four-letter word so beloved by Puck.

"Excuse me?" His voice was gravelly, his anger obviously riding just below the surface of his tense exterior.

"You heard me." She stared out the window, her vision blurred.

Neither one spoke as he pulled into the driveway and they walked into the house.

Finally, Puck said, "Look, maybe you just need to leave the short, tight shit at home. There are freaks out there who get turned on by pregnant women." _Like me_, he couldn't help but think.

Rachel spun to face him. "I don't need you to tell me how to dress, Noah. I already have a father and I get enough misery from him without your chiming in."

Puck roared, "I'm not trying to be your fucking piece-of-shit father. I am just saying that if you had dressed more conservatively, maybe this whole fucking mess wouldn't have happened."

"Maybe if you had been with me instead of watching the moronic game with Finn, none of this would have happened…But you know what? I don't care what you think. I will dress however I want to dress and you can't stop me!" She seethed at him.

"Fine...but I may not be around next time to protect you when you're parading around like a tramp."

Rachel's eyes filled with tears and she stalked toward the bedroom.

"I'm going to bed. You can sleep somewhere else... And by somewhere else, I mean the couch or the bedroom upstairs. I DO NOT mean for you to use this fight as an excuse to go out and screw some nameless whore like you did the last time," she raged.

Puck was stunned, all the anger sucked from his body by her knife-like words. "How did you know about that?"

She laughed a bitter, pained laugh and said, "I'm not stupid. Now, goodnight."

She slammed the door and he ran for it, knowing even as he did that it would be locked. "Rachel?" He waggled the door handle. "Rach...c'mon..."

He heard nothing from inside the bedroom so he dropped his hand. He stood there for a moment longer, hoping she would reconsider. When the door didn't open, he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Dropping his head in his hands, he wondered how the fuck that whole thing had even just happened.

Inside the bedroom, Rachel stood near her closet, a Kleenex in her hand. His words were cruel. The implication that she had somehow invited it by her clothing was so very…brutish, like the same excuse rapists tried to use as a defense. If he had merely been defending her honor, she wouldn't be upset. But no, he had to turn it all around and blame her.

Tears streaming down her face, she pulled off her clothes and piled them in the hamper. Tugging her nightgown over her head, she walked toward the bed and slid in. She flipped off the lamp and scooted down into the covers. It was only then that she realized something horrible: It was impossible to hate him this much without having loved him first.

As she fell into a fitful sleep, she tried to calm her anger and her nerves. And she was used to his warmth beside her. Without it, sleep was even more elusive.

* * *

In the morning, when she stepped out of the bedroom, Puck was sitting on the hardwood floor across the hall from their door. He pushed himself up from the wall the moment the door opened. He saw that her eyes were swollen, which made his chest hurt. As he walked toward her, she threw her hands up to stop him.

"Don't…"

He ignored her, continuing in her direction and attempted to put his arms around her shoulders. She shrugged him off. "I said, don't…."

"C'mon, Rachel…I'm sorry, okay?"

She walked into the kitchen, ignoring his hands on her hips as he tried to turn her towards him.

"Please, babe…look at me?"

She finally complied and turned to face him. He smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood, but there was no breaking her tough exterior.

"I'm so sorry. I was _s_o out of line. I just went a little crazy…well, okay, I went fucking nuts when I saw that guy touch you. He could have hurt you and the baby. I freaked out, okay? "

She said nothing, just looked into his pleading eyes.

"Please forgive me? That wasn't your fault at all. Your clothes had nothing to do with it. I know that… I was just in overprotective mode. I worry…about the baby, okay?"

She nodded, ignoring the burning in her eyes. He worried about the baby, of course.

He bent and dropped soft kisses along her jaw line. "I was jealous…and overprotective…and stupid. But it freaks me out when some dude is trying to make a move on my territory."

She pulled her head away from his and looked at him. "I'm your territory?"

He slid his hands to her stomach. "You're marked, baby."

She smiled and he took the opportunity to kiss her hotly. She leaned into his embrace, her anger melting away.

He kissed a line up her nose to her forehead and then back down to her mouth. Pulling away, he looked into her big brown eyes and said, "You know what? Roscoe is a good name."

She smiled, pressing a kiss into his lips as she rolled her eyes. "If you plan on your son running moonshine across state lines, then sure it's a good name."

"Rocky? Skeeter Puckerman?"

"Ugh…I'm going back to bed."

He looked hopeful. "You want me to join you, right?"

"Only if you stop suggesting hideous baby names."

"Just one more?" He followed her to the bedroom door.

"One more bad name and you get _zero_ make-up sex…"

"This would be me, shutting up now…." He slammed the bedroom door and spent the rest of the morning making up to her properly.


	11. Eyes

**A/N: A smutty chapter for my smut-loving readers. ;) As always, thanks for the reviews! They always make me grin like an idiot.**

* * *

A quiet Thursday afternoon found Rachel sitting on the couch, feet propped up, reading through _What to Expect When You're Expecting. _She was startled out of her trance by a knock on the door. When she opened it, she was staring a young dark-haired girl and saw a car backing out of the driveway.

"Can I help you?" Rachel asked the child, watching the car retreat back down the street.

"Is Noah here?" The girl timidly asked as she stared at Rachel's stomach.

"He's not home from work yet but he should be soon…" Recognition hit her as she spoke. The girl looked just like Noah. "Are you his sister?"

She nodded. "I'm Beth Puckerman."

Rachel stood aside and said, "Come in! I'm so glad to finally meet you."

Beth smiled nervously and looked around the house. She couldn't believe her stupid big brother lived here. This house was _so _much nicer than the one she lived in with her mother.

"I'm sorry I haven't come before when Mom's visited. I've been busy with school and friends and Drama club and…."

"And?" Rachel asked the girl, who had Noah's eyes and dark hair but also looked like a miniature version of Miriam.

"You're cool, right? I mean, you're putting up with my brother and all and he kinda sucks."

Rachel cocked her head at the girl, who flopped down on the couch and tossed her book bag to the floor.

"Yes, I'm "cool" as you said," Rachel offered.

"Well, it kinda freaked me out when Noah came over and told us he was married and that you all were having a baby. This is NOAH…my brother…It was just…weird… But Mom's been bitching…sorry, complaining, about how I haven't come over to meet you yet so I thought I'd have my friend drop me off today." She looked around the room. "I hope Noah doesn't mind."

"I'm sure he won't. He'll be happy to see you. Would you like something to drink?"

Beth nodded and Rachel went to the kitchen and got her a soda.

When she came back, the 13-year-old was staring at Rachel's stomach again.

"How…how far along are you?"

"I'm at 19 weeks now…"

"And…how long til the baby is born?"

"Well, human gestation is 40 weeks, although some babies come a little earlier and some have to hang out a little longer. So I'm about halfway through my pregnancy now."

Beth thought for a moment. "So, like, don't take this the wrong way or anything but...do you actually like my brother? Because, no offense, but he's kind of a jerk."

Rachel laughed. "I can see where he could be quite the difficult, frustrating big brother."

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it! My mom tells everybody who will listen that Noah has a Jewish wife and a 100% Jewish baby on the way...the whole thing just makes me nervous. I mean, before Noah moved out on his own last year, I remember girl after girl sneaking out his window or down the steps or hiding under his bed.... He's not very husbandy, if you ask me." Beth looked up from her soda can and said, "Did _you_ ever sneak out of our house before?"

Rachel shifted uncomfortably, wondering just _how _many women Noah had actually been with. Shifting her focus back to the nervous girl before her, Rachel put her hand on Beth's arm. "No, I can assure you, I have never even visited Noah at your house."

Beth leaned back into the couch cushions. "Geesh, well that's good. You don't look like Noah's normal women anyway. You seem...too smart."

Rachel grinned. Noah's sister's assessment of her brother and his taste in women was proving to be far more entertaining than she had imagined it would be.

The woman and the girl said nothing as a few minutes passed. Beth looked around the room, seemingly amazed that the house was so neat and clean while her brother resided here. Finally, Rachel said, "Well, I am glad you're here."

Just then, the front door opened and Puck walked in. As he dropped his things off by the table on the door, he said, "Rach? I was thinking we could order in and maybe have dinner in bed...."

Rachel's face turned red as his words continued. "...because I've had one hell of a shitty day and the only thing that will help is a little time between your.... Oh, Beth!" Puck chose that moment to walk into the room and take notice of his little sister sitting on the couch. Her mouth was hanging open and Rachel was roughly the same color as a tomato.

"Hey big bro...good to know that even though you're married, you're still a pig."

Rachel burst out laughing. Noah just smirked and picked his sister up from the couch to hug her. She screeched but hugged him back. Sliding her back to the floor, he flopped down on the couch and asked, "So what took you so long? Rach and I have been married for like three months and you're just now gracing us with your presence?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. You try balancing my busy life for a while and see how much free time you have."

"Oh whatever..." Puck rolled his eyes.

Beth rolled hers at the same time. The family resemblance made Rachel's body shake with laughter.

"So, why are you here, kid?"

"Can't a sister visit her brother who has apparently been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with a family man?" Puck nodded knowingly. His mother had told him that Beth was a little uncomfortable with the idea of his marriage and the baby.

"Hey squirt, wanna see the ultrasound video?"

_Oh goodness, _Rachel thought, _here he goes with that video again._

Puck popped the DVD in and a few seconds later, the massive image of their tiny baby was showing across the screen. Beth's eyes grew wide. "Wow..." she breathed.

"Pretty fucking cool, huh?"

"Noah! Watch your mouth around your sister!" Rachel interjected loudly. Puck just scowled at her and turned his attention back to the TV.

Beth stared at the screen. "Mom said it was a boy but I don't see it."

Puck roared. "Dammit! Why can no one see my kid's junk but me?" For the next five minutes, Rachel watched as Noah attempted to point out their son's tiny penis. Finally, Beth's eyes grew wide. "Oh wow! I see it!"

Puck beamed. Finally someone saw it!

"Hey Beth…Rachel agreed that we're naming our son Rufus."

"I did not!" Rachel shrieked.

Laughing, he stared back at the image on his beloved television screen before it ended and the screen went black.

"So you really saw his dick, right, sis?"

"Yes, you unrefined pig, I did," Beth groaned.

"Sweet." He seemed satisfied.

Next, Puck insisted that Beth be taken on the tour of the house. Rachel watched as he led her through the rooms, her eyes wide. They were really cute together, Rachel observed. And she could tell that even though there was a 9-year age difference, the two of them seemed close. It brought back pangs of loneliness from Rachel's own childhood. She would have given anything to have a sibling...or even a mother. But as she was quickly learning, the Puckerman family was starting to more than fill in the gaps in her life.

A few minutes after the tour was over, Puck's phone rang.

"Yeah, Mom...Beth is here. Yeah, Rachel and I can run her by....Hold on, I'll ask."

Pulling the phone from his ear, he said, "Hey babe, wanna have dinner with my mom tonight?"

Rachel nodded excitedly.

"Mom, we'll be there in a half-hour."

The drive back to the Puckerman home was entertaining, to say the least. Puck and Beth argued most of the way about who had been the worst sibling when they were growing up. Rachel cast the final vote: Puck was an obvious nightmare.

"And Rachel, this one time, when Noah was 17, this lady from across the street would come over like 3 times a week every week for nearly a year and ask for him, saying she needed help fixing her pipes. He always helped her but I would have told her to get a stupid plumber. That's an awful lot of plumbing to do for free."

Rachel swiveled her head and looked at Noah. He was grinning, fighting the urge to laugh out loud, but staring straight at the road.

"Noah..." she whispered.

"What? I went through a cougar phase, okay?"

She threw her head back, stifling the giggle in her throat.

As soon as they pulled into the driveway, Miriam was out the door to greet them. She ran to Rachel's side of the car and pulled the door open. As soon as Rachel emerged from the car, Miriam wrapped her in a hug and then pulled away and ran her hands over Rachel's stomach.

"I'm so glad to see you," Miriam gushed as she put her arm around Rachel and guided her into the house.

Behind their retreating figures, Puck said, "Uh…hey Ma…I'm here too."

Without glancing back, she said, "Hi honey," and turned her attention back to Rachel.

Puck shot his mother a glare and Beth snickered. "Rachel's the new favorite, Noah. We better get used to it."

"Shit, I've known that," he muttered as he walked inside, closing the door behind him.

A few minutes later, Miriam was putting out a huge pot roast, veggies, and rolls around the table and the entire Puckerman clan dug in.

As they sat around the table over dinner, Rachel laughing as his mother and his sister worked to continually humiliate him with their embarrassing stories and stupid jokes, Puck watched their interaction silently. Rachel's cheeks were flushed from laughter and her eyes sparkled when she spoke. At one point, her glance slid over to him and held there. Puck met her eyes and felt his body start to hum as he thought back to the conversation he and Finn had earlier in the day.

_"Hey dude, how are things with Rachel?"_

_Wiping his hands on a rag, Puck answered, "Great...why?"_

_"No reason." After pausing, Finn asked, "Have I told you Quinn's theory?_

_Puck gave Finn a questioning look. "Theory?"_

_"Quinn thinks that Rachel's__ in love with you."_

_Puck stood unmoving and unspeaking, his feet rooted to the concrete floor below him. Finally cutting through the silence, he snorted and said, "I don't think so, Finn. We're not like that."_

_"Not like what? You're married, you're having a baby, you're insanely attracted to her, you spend nearly every free moment talking about her and the baby, you rarely leave her side on the weekends, not to mention the fact that you bang her every chance you get... Where are you _not_ like that? Enlighten me, please."_

_Puck said nothing. He honestly didn't know how to answer the question._

_Finally, Finn couldn't handle the quiet. "Look, man, I'm not trying to start anything. I'm just saying that Quinn says when Rachel looks at you, she can see – and I'm quoting Quinn here - "that there is love in Rachel's eyes." Just thought you should know... I know how you are about love...."_

_Puck grimaced. Finn knew exactly how Puck was about the whole "l" word. He was used to women falling for him...he figured it came with his chiseled looks, badass personality, and incredible sexual prowess. Puck, however, could honestly say that he had never, not once in his entire life, been in love. He knew lust like the back of his hand. But love? Love was a completely foreign concept. The idea that Quinn thought she could literally "see" that Rachel loved him kinda freaked him the fuck out._

Pulling himself back to the present, he admitted that Rachel's eyes were very expressive. He could tell when she was excited, scared, sad, or pissed with just a single glance. But love? In her eyes? _That_ he had never seen. _Or maybe_, he thought, _I don't exactly know what I'm looking for._

After dinner, Puck watched Rachel help his mother do the dishes, bending and stretching so that her pants pulled tight around the tight, firm cheeks of her ass. She turned toward him and bent to pick up a rag, allowing him the beautiful opportunity to see straight down her shirt. _Fuck this. We need to get home. NOW. _Grabbing her hand, he said, "Ma, Rachel is exhausted…we need to get home."

Rachel turned to look at him. "Noah, I'm fine…"

He shot her a contemptuous glance and reiterated, "No, you're very tired and want to go to bed early. Remember?" He cocked his eyebrow at her, giving her one of his leery, suggestive grins.

She pursed her lips in an "oh" and said, "You're right…I am tired. But Miriam, thank you so much for dinner. We had a wonderful time."

Miriam and Beth walked the couple back to their car. With a round of hugs, they were on the way back home.

"You sure were in a hurry," Rachel said, her lips pursed with a grin.

"Gotta get the fuck outta there sometime. Mom would make us stay and sleep in my old room if we stayed much longer. And I promise you, I've had sex in that house for the _last fucking time. _That woman has ears like a dog."

* * *

When they got home, Puck went to the garage to grab the trashcan for the morning pick up while Rachel got the mail and went in the house.

She was standing at the table, flipping through the mail, when he went inside. Puck walked up behind her and slid his arms around her. She relaxed against him, laying her hands over his.

"Pretty soon, your arms aren't going to fit around my waist," she said softly.

He moved his face so that his nose was buried in her hair. She always smelled so clean...

They stood that way for a while – his arms around her, her head against his chest. Eventually, he leaned down and whispered, "Wanna fool around?"

Rachel thought for a moment. Then pulling out of his embrace, she faced him. "What do you think?"

Puck grabbed her ass and pulled her against him, kissing her more forcefully than he normally did. He ground against her, loving the way she responded every time he let her know how fucking hot she made him.

Guiding her to the couch, he said, "Sit," with a pointed finger. Once she was sitting, he dropped to his knees on the floor and positioned himself between her knees. She leaned down, enjoying this new vantage point, to kiss him softly. His tongue met and swirled against hers in the way he knew always made her moan. She reached to remove his shirt and he pulled back.

"No, babe...this is about you...."

She looked at him curiously as he began flicking the buttons of her shirt open, slowly and one-by-one. As her shirt came open, he trailed kisses down her newly exposed flesh. When it was unbuttoned, he reached around her and pulled it off, tossing it on the floor. His hands slid over he belly as he laid gentle kisses across the crest of it. His lips brushed up her abdomen as his hands slid around her back and settled on her shoulders. He gripped the straps of her bra and dragged them down her arms, freeing her breasts to his gaze. She reached behind her, unclasped it, and pushed it to the floor. His eyes feasted on her hard nipples before he reached for her pants, desperate to have her naked and completely open for him. She lifted her hips so he could slide her pants and panties down in one swoop. He removed them from her ankles to get them out of the way, throwing them across the room. Puck grabbed Rachel's hips and pulled her forward so that her ass rested on the very edge of the couch cushions. Using his strong hands, he pushed her thighs open. Rachel's face felt hot with embarrassment. She never got used to his lustful gaze on the most secret, private parts of her body. She instinctively tried to close her thighs but his strong hands stopped her.

"No…fucking gorgeous…I can see how wet you are for me already…." Her opening glistened in the light, moisture flooding her core quickly because of his intense gaze.

He leaned into her body, putting one hand right over Rachel's neatly trimmed thatch of hair to slowly separate her folds. Rachel whimpered, her eyes closed tight, head rolling from one side to the other. Dipping his head, he slid his tongue around and then directly across her clit. Rachel's hands automatically went to his head, holding him tight against her body. Sinking his body down lower, he pushed her legs farther apart and slid his tongue down her folds, flicking his tongue lightly over every surface, his tongue delving into every crevice before finally finding its way deep inside her center. She bucked against his face and he grinned against her.

"Noah..." she moaned. Her brain began to shut down, like it did every time his he touched her. The heat of his body frazzled her brain connections, leaving her unable to think – only feel. He slid one hand up her body slowly, his fingertips grazing a scalding trail along her abdomen until he reached her breasts. His palm moved gently over her nipple, rubbing softly before he quickly grabbed it between his fingers, pinching it hard enough to make her cry out. He felt her become wetter, more slippery, and even more ready for him as he moved his tongue against her, continuing his slow, deliberate assault. Tongue moving first in and out of her and then gliding back up to her clit, his hand slid down so that two of his fingers replaced the vacancy created by absence of his tongue inside her. Removing his mouth from her body, he kissed his way from her knees up across her belly and up to her mouth. She could taste herself on him, which only further aroused her.

His fingers moving, spinning inside her, bending to flick against her G-spot, he groaned, "Your body is perfect…I love how hot your little pussy is...I'm dying to feel it tight around my cock when I fuck you." Her hips jumped in response to his words and he laughed low in his throat, loving how she always got _so horny_ whenever he talked dirty. His fingers never ceasing, he slid his body up so that his face was level with hers.

"I want to feel you cum, Rachel...I love when you fucking come apart because of me...." She mewed in pleasurable agony as his fingers picked up the tempo and his pressure against her G-spot increased.

Up against her ear, he murmured, "I wanna watch your face as your pussy explodes around my fingers..."

A tiny _ohhhhhhh_ escaped from her mouth he pressed his lips against hers. His fingers were sliding through her wetness with quickness and speed. She bucked against his hand, riding his fingers as she worked toward her release.

She moaned his name again and he felt her start to tighten around him. He took his finger and pressed it against her G-spot, his other hand pressing down from the outside. The intense pressure and friction from both sides sent her over the edge, crying out even as he whispered, "Fuck baby...you're so beautiful. You are _so fucking MINE_….cum for me..." He watched her stunning face contort with passion as the orgasm tore through her entire body. His dick throbbing, balls aching to be buried inside her, he held his composure and continued to stroke her with his fingers as her legs slowly lost their tenseness and started to shake. Her head lulled to the side, an exhausted smile playing across her lips.

"Now you, Noah," she whispered, reaching for him.

"Nope, babe…we'll worry about me later. I told you…this was about you." He pushed up on his knees again and slid his tongue into her mouth, kissing her deeply. Pulling back, she pressed her head against the back of the couch, her body still quaking from the powerful orgasm. His head resting on her bare belly, he could see the lust slowly leave her eyes as she began to come back down from her incredible high. As her eyes regained their clarity, the cloudiness of desire slipping away, he saw the look that Quinn _must _have been talking about: eyes, only on him, filled with warmth, care, longing, and undeniable trust. It was the kind of look that told him that he was everything to her. His heart raced in his chest and his pulse quickened in response. _So that's what love looks like? _ Crawling up next to her on the couch, he pulled her naked body into his lap so that she was straddling him. Pressing their heads together, he captured his gaze with hers and held it, wanting to feel that look burn into his soul. Puck vowed right then and there, with _**his**__ naked, pregnant Rachel_ splayed across his lap, to make certain that she always looked at him with those same eyes.


	12. Graduation Devastation

**Sorry - reposting this even though I just posted it to fix one error I caught!**

**A/N: As I sat in insurance renewal meetings today with my boss and our broker discussing things such as HSAs, deductibles, and wellness programs, my mind kept drifting to this story. I totally wasn't paying attention in my own meeting. This tells me that I have a serious Puckleberry writing addiction (ORRRRRR it could be that our annual renewal meetings with our broker are so mind-numbingly boring that I'm tempted to stab myself in the hand just to get out of the conference room.) Anyway, as soon as I'm done with this story, I am afraid I may have to seek treatment or something…. "Hi, my name is _______ and I'm a Gleeaholic."**

* * *

On a Saturday afternoon at the very end of May, Rachel Caroline Berry Puckerman's pursuit of education came to an end. Her mortarboard attached securely to her head, Rachel stood at the edge of the stage waiting for her name.

"Rachel Caroline Puckerman," was announced over the loudspeaker. Taking a deep breath, she lugged her 22-weeks-pregnant frame up the steps to the stage to accept her diploma. As she stood smiling, diploma in one hand and shaking the hand of the Dean with the other, she heard Noah's distinctive "whooooooo" calling from somewhere out in the crowd. She knew that elsewhere in that same crowd, her father sat silently. But Noah's whoops and hollers as she crossed the stage held her attention and she giggled, relief spilling over her that she could finally focus on things other than studies.

The final weeks leading up to graduation had been anti-climatic, really. Her classes in her last semester were all those electives that had been pushed back until the end. As a result, there was nothing really _too _hard or that required too much of Rachel's time. She was thankful now, she realized as she took her seat again amongst her classmates, because it had given her time to focus on the life she was now carrying, as well as the man who had helped her find herself in this position.

As she sat staring at the stage, listening to her other classmates graduate but not really hearing their names, Rachel simply wanted to get going. The rest of her life was waiting, she had her diploma, and it was time to dispense with formality. For once she was thankful that her new last name put her at nearly the end of the alphabet because, before too long, the ceremony was over. All the diplomas had been given out and all that was left were pictures.

Rachel pushed through the throngs of people, seeking out Noah by the tree that had designated as the post-ceremony greeting place. She spotted his tall, muscular frame from quite a distance and appreciated the relaxed, easy manner in which he stood. She noticed more than one female gaze at him approvingly but he didn't seem to care, if he even noticed at all. When she finally made her way to him, he picked her up and hugged her, acting like her weight plus that of their child was an easy feat (and she supposed for him, it was.)

"Congratulations, babe! I'm so proud of you!" He bent and kissed her and she responded eagerly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning in to his embrace.

"You're only seven months away from doing this yourself," she told him as they parted.

"I know…but we've got little Augustus coming between now and then and that's my bigger focus."

Rachel heaved a heavy sigh. "We're not naming our son Augustus."

He just smiled sweetly at her, ignoring her because the name Augustus just _screamed _"badass," as they walked down the sidewalk back toward the parking lot. Just then, she heard her name.

Turning, she saw her father advancing toward them. Puck noticed Rachel's body tense up as he approached.

"Hi Daddy," she said when he was standing in front of them. Puck instinctively wrapped his arm around Rachel and pulled her closer as her father stared silently at them.

He nodded at Noah and looked down at his daughter. "I'm very proud of you, Rachel. You managed to graduate with honors despite the…," he cleared his throat, glancing down at Rachel's abdomen,"…bump in the road."

Puck's eyes narrowed. _Can't you just fucking congratulate your daughter like you may actually give a shit about her?_

Rachel seemed unaware of her father's barb. Or perhaps she was just used to them because she responded, "Well Daddy, I've always been a good student and my senior year proved not to be too challenging. I'm just relieved to have it behind me for now to focus on the baby." Her hands instinctively went to her belly and she saw the uncomfortable look flash into her father's eyes.

"Well just the same, I am relieved you are done with school."

Puck watched Rachel's face and was sure he saw her wince slightly as her father began a long speech droning on and on about the importance of the pursuit of higher education in the Berry family. He almost put a hand in front of Marcus' face and said, "She's a Puckerman now, dude," but held his tongue. This was Rachel's day and he didn't want to ruin it. For now, he would simply keep his comments about her douchy rat-bastard father to himself.

Marcus' eyes traveled over Puck. "I take it you are treating my daughter with respect?"

Puck's arm tightened around Rachel. Before he could speak, Rachel spoke up. "Noah treats me wonderfully, Daddy. I wish you would stop asking."

"Well, Rachel, I just like to make sure considering he was a stranger when you wed."

Puck spoke up now, Marcus' tone getting under his nerves. "If I remember correctly, you had something to do with the whole "marrying a stranger" thing, didn't you?"

Marcus' eyes narrowed at Puck. _Backtalk from this trash?_ This man OWED Marcus for his newfound wealth and he felt the need to backtalk?

Seething, Marcus turned to Noah and said, "Considering my daughter and her child are nothing more than a financial vehicle for you, I find it pertinent to check on her welfare. Your social...status...is well known in Lima, Mr. Puckerman. I still find it unfortunate that my daughter chose the likes of you to rut with but what's done is done. To protect her reputation, I have allowed you into her life and I expect..."

"You mean to protect your fucking reputation? You don't give a shit about your daughter or her feelings or you wouldn't have forced her to get married like some slave," Puck snarled, stepping closer to Marcus. He didn't want to do this today, not on Rachel's day. But he wasn't going to stand idly by and be insulted or watch Rachel get insulted by this man, either.

Rachel shrunk back, unsure of what to do as the scene became more heated.

"Mr. Puckerman, you may address me about my daughter's feelings when you aren't sitting on one hundred thousand dollars of my money. Until then, I would advise you to remember your place. You are providing her with a last name and protection from her child being labeled a bastard. It ends there."

"Daddy!" Rachel finally screamed. "Stop it! Stop attacking Noah. He doesn't have to be here with me, you know. He could have walked away. But he loves our baby so he's here."

Marcus smirked at his daughter's flimsy attempt to justify Noah's existence in her life as something other than a financial opportunity.

"Rachel, you need to remember that this is a business agreement. I trusted that you were more intelligent but it's obvious to me that you have...grown attached to this man. That is problematic."

"Listen, asshole. This day is about Rachel. If you have a beef with me, we can discuss it in private. But you need to keep HER out of this. She doesn't deserve the bullshit you put her through," Puck growled.

Marcus lowered his voice, blatantly ignoring the enraged man in front of him and instead said to his daughter, "I will be checking in soon, honey. Again, I am glad you have completed school." He then spun on his heel and walked away, leaving an angry Puck and a crying Rachel in his wake.

* * *

Marcus was deeply troubled as he walked away. He felt like his daughter was questioning his judgment, or worse yet, forgetting what this situation was _really_ about. Both of those options were completely unacceptable. He had always done what was best for his daughter and his family's reputation. But Rachel had forced his hand when she ended up impregnated like common trash. The empire he had created would _not_ be tarnished because his daughter had a problem keeping her legs closed. Luckily for him, he had unimaginable wealth and Noah Puckerman, being the poor, trashy wretch that he was, took the bait, ensuring that Marcus Berry remained in control of his daughter and his future grandchild. His plan was perfect except for one thing: the two had fallen in love. That meant he was losing his grip on Rachel. She was a Berry...she would always be a Berry. She needed to remember that.

Glancing back toward where he had come from, he saw Noah's arm tighten around Rachel as they made their way to the parking lot. Yes...love was a problem. With an unsettled burning in his stomach, Marcus made his way toward his car.

* * *

When Rachel slid into Puck's car, she sighed and wiped her tears away. Her father's cruel words kept bouncing around in her head. When she was alone with Noah, it was hard for her to remember that their situation was other than that of two people who were married and who were having a baby. She loved him without question and definitely against her better judgement. Of course, she hadn't told him that. Her father's words brought back to the forefront of her mind why, exactly, she hadn't told him that she loved him: because their marriage was a financial transaction designed to appease all parties. Leave it to Marcus Berry to remind his daughter that love – all love – came with a price tag.

Rachel said nothing on the drive back to their house from the OSU-Lima campus. Puck looked over at her repeatedly, watching her wipe the continual stream of silent tears that were running down her cheeks. He _fucking hated_ Marcus Berry. He had never seen a father demean his child in the way Marcus had just belittled Rachel - and his own father was the biggest loser on the planet. He wanted to yell and throw something. Puck hadn't chosen for this to happen. He hadn't chosen to become a father at 22. Sure, he didn't do anything to actually prevent it when he had the chance but this life was thrust upon him. Marrying Rachel ensured that his child had a father. _That_ would not change. But he hadn't realized at the time, and he should have, that Marcus Berry would use their financial transaction as a dagger every chance he got. But the victim wasn't him. He could handle it if he was the victim, the one Marcus chose to hurt. Instead, it was the petite, pregnant woman at his side who was repeatedly put in the middle.

As he drove, the thought began to occur to him that if he gave the money back and got the hell out of there, he and Rachel could get divorced and go their separate ways. He would still fight to make sure he got visitation rights so that his son would know his father loved him. But then Marcus Berry would be out of his life and could no longer use the money as a way to hurt Rachel. But that meant he would have to leave her himself. And he was afraid that after only four short months of this very fake but very real marriage, he would be unable to say goodbye to her without dying a little bit inside.

When he turned the car onto their street, Puck pushed the thoughts out of his mind. Their perfect day was ruined and now he had to clean up the pieces and try to make the best of it.

Almost home, Rachel noticed quite a few cars in their driveway and on the street. She looked quizzically over at Puck, was stared straight ahead and refused to meet her eyes. When they pulled in the driveway, she saw the front door jerk open and Miriam's head poke out before she quickly disappeared and the door slammed again.

Rachel turned to Puck, color returning to her cheeks. "Noah Puckerman? Did you plan a surprise party for me?"

He turned to face her, raised his eyebrows and said, "Maybe…You did deserve some kind of celebration today. It's a big day, despite the huge clusterfuck that just happened back there."

She reached across the seat console and kissed him, feeling tears spring to her eyes again. But this time they were not because of her father but because Noah had done something so wonderful for her.

They parted and he got out, walking around to her side to help her out as well. Closing the door behind her, he slid his arms around her waist and gazed at her for a moment. "You're beautiful... and I am sorry that happened today." She gazed at him and he could see the pain in her eyes. He dropped his head and brushed his lips over hers, despite the fact that his emotions were all over the place and kissing her only further clouded things.

Walking to the door, he rapped on it to warn anyone to stand back and then pushed it open. Stepping inside the house, Rachel was greeted by a chorus of "Congratulations!" She beamed as she saw their living room full of people: Miriam, Beth, Finn, Quinn, Robb, Jimmy, Mercedes, and a few people Rachel didn't recognize but that she was almost positive Noah worked with. She could smell grilled food wafting from the backyard and realized that Finn was acting as head griller. He hugged Rachel and then excused himself to go back to cooking.

Puck stood back, watching Rachel get pulled into the crowd of people and he felt sick to his stomach. Earlier, this had seemed like a wonderful thing to do for her. She had worked so hard and endured so much recently that he had _wanted_ to make her feel special today. But now, as he looked at it through the lenses forced over his eyes thanks to the Marcus Berry confrontation, he felt like his friends and family were just pawns in their game. They were just being used as set pieces to make his and Rachel's marriage appear real and valid. And even though _he_ knew that there was no truth to that thought, he couldn't help but think that Rachel would see it that way.

Rachel gracefully hugged everyone, making small talk along the way, because she was a Berry and Berrys were, if nothing else, consummate hosts. But her appreciation and her smiles felt hollow in the light of the confrontation. Even in the excitement of a surprise graduation party, she needed time alone to get her emotions under control.

Excusing herself to go change clothes, Puck caught her eyes as she started to close the door. He could tell that she was going to cry as soon as she was alone in the room and he wanted to follow her but his legs wouldn't move.

Inside the room, Rachel's body was wracked with sobs. She berated herself for falling for him. In the quiet of the night, when he made love to her, called her "his," and showed such care for her, it was easy to believe that this…relationship…was real and that it was made up of substance. But it only took scathing words from her father to bring her back to reality. Noah was here because he was paid to be here. Rachel was here because she had no choice. For the first time, she wondered if it wouldn't be easier just to disappear. She had enough money that she could take off and no one, not her father, nor Noah, would ever find her. And then she could forget that she was even related to Marcus Berry or that she loved Noah Puckerman. She would raise her son in peace…. And although that idea sounded appealing, she loved Noah too much to deny him the child that he wanted. So she was stuck in this false-happiness. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Finn wandered back in the house a few minutes later and found Puck still staring at the closed bedroom door.

"Dude, you okay?"

Puck turned toward his best friend and shook his head. "No, man…things just went to shit. Rachel's asshole father showed up at her graduation and was nice enough to remind her that I'm only here for the money and that I need to remember my place in the social strata of fucking Lima, Ohio."

"That man is a true piece of work. Why does he treat her like that? She's his daughter!"

"Because he can…and because she's always let him. She tried to defend me today but that's when things really went to shit."

Finn put his hand on Puck's shoulder. "Dude…you know she in love with you, right?"

"Yeah..." Puck answered slowly, his chest tight and his breath irregular just at the thought of Rachel's love. "I know…"

"What are you going to do about it? Are you going to let her father fuck up this relationship? I've never seen you this happy in my entire life. You're still an asshole most of the time but at least now you're a happy asshole. That girl in that room is responsible for that. And don't feed me any bullshit about it being the baby that makes you happy because you haven't even met _him_ yet. _Rachel_ is the reason you walk around grinning like an idiot."

Finn left Puck alone with his thoughts, deciding that he was going to let the douche figure it out for himself.

Puck stood motionless long after Finn disappeared, still staring at the door. He silently pleaded for the door to open but it didn't. Finally, he couldn't take the shit anymore so he walked over, fully expecting to kick the fucking thing down if he had to but it wasn't locked.

He opened it silently and slipped inside, closing it behind him. Rachel was sitting on the bed, her legs folded beneath her, staring at the comforter. She looked up at him, giving him a sad smile, before looking back down.

"I'll be out in a few minutes, Noah. I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting. I just…just needed some time."

"Fuck everyone, Rachel. They can wait." He walked toward her, preparing his speech in his head about what a huge piece of shit her father was and how he she shouldn't listen to him because he didn't matter. But he knew that her father _did _matter and he always would.

Instead of saying anything, though, he was distracted by the sadness on her face. That wasn't the look he liked to see. Deciding on another approach, he shoved his grand speech away and moved toward her. Crawling on the bed next to her, he leaned against the pillows, spread his legs, and pulled her between them. She leaned back against his chest and his arms went around her. She put her hands over his arms, pressing herself into her embrace. As he kissed the top of her head, she closed her eyes, luxuriating in his embrace. They stayed that way for a while, just listening to the music, laughter, and noise coming from outside the bedroom door. They knew they had to go face the party – after all, they were the hosts and it was in Rachel's honor. Just a few more minutes and they could go back out there….

Puck looked down at the small woman curled in his arms and screwed his eyes shut. Without thinking, without so much as a thought in his head, he spoke:

"Your father can go fuck himself, Rachel, because I love you AND little Tiberius." As soon as the words flew from his mouth, he wanted to take him back. Yes, he meant them but still...he didn't say _shit like that_.

She said nothing in response. In fact, she didn't even blink. He started to panic, thinking she was going to laugh. Or cry again. Or maybe throw up. And then he wasn't sure she was even breathing. He was tempted to pinch her just to make sure she'd heard his horrible attack of oral diarrhea because it hung in the air, stinking and festering as he waited for her reply. But just as he went to reach for the fleshiest part of her thigh, intending to pinch it until she screeched, he saw a grin spread across her features as she said, "We're not naming our son Tiberius…and I love you, too."

* * *

**Tiberius is just for you, KittyGoddess415!!!**


	13. Graduation Jubilation

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update yesterday. The insomnia I've been battling off and on for weeks was back with a vengeance and I lost the battle against it yesterday. I felt like a zombie for the majority of the day. Went to bed at 11am last night and got up at 4am this morning, unable to sleep. I'm off today, thankfully, so I will go take a nap later. Ugh…not being able to sleep at night sucks.**

* * *

"Uh...Miriam, I wouldn't do that if I were you." A half hour after Finn had left a dejected Puck staring at the closed door to the bedroom he shared with Rachel, he came back in the house to see if there had been any change in Puck's sad, pathetic demeanor. Puck was gone now from his sad little spot, thankfully, but the bedroom door was still closed – and was presently sporting a human ear because Miriam was in meddling mode, her body pressed up against it in a blatant attempt at eavesdropping.

Miriam turned and brushed Finn away. "I can barely hear them. I just wonder if they're okay or if they plan on coming out soon. I wonder if they need me...."

Finn snickered. He was pretty sure he knew what was going on behind that door. And it probably involved Puck and Rachel's favorite pastime – a pastime that _didn't_ involve Miriam Puckerman as a member of the studio audience.

"Miriam, seriously…you may want to step away before you hear something you don't like."

She waved Finn off flippantly, saying, "It's the middle of the afternoon and there are a house full of people. I _seriously_ doubt that anything inappropriate is going on. Besides, she's a pregnant woman!"

"You _do _know your son, right?" Finn furrowed his brows at Puck's mom. Were they talking about the same Noah Puckerman? "Daytime...house full of guests…pregnant woman…worst, most wrong, most absolute tacky time to have sex? Sounds like a perfect set-up for Puck to try to get his freak on if you ask me!"

Miriam shot him a "how dare you say such terrible things about my wonderful son" glare and then quickly pressed her ear back against the door. "I think I hear them talking," she loudly whispered to Finn.

Rolling his eyes, Finn wandered away, leaving Miriam alone as she attempted to peek through the keyhole. _Wait - I think I see a leg...._

On the other side of the hotly investigated door, Puck was watching Rachel's face as his lips brushed over her exposed nipple. The frowning and tears that had ravaged her face earlier had been replaced by a relaxed smile accentuated with slightly puckered lips. _This_ was the look he preferred for her to have. Just as he was about to try to see exactly how far she'd let him go, he heard a scraping against the door and froze. Rachel pushed herself up from the pillow asking, "What, Noah?"

"Shhhh…." He whispered. "Mom is on the other side of the door."

"How do you know?"

He shot her a questioning glance. "I can hear her dragon-like breathing. Her fire-breath will probably make the door erupt into flames in a minute. Believe me…she's listening."

"Well, we are making out in the middle of the day with a houseful of guests, which is unbelievably inappropriate," Rachel reminded him in a hushed tone, realizing how scandalous her behavior truly was.

Puck looked at her. "Fuck that...it's hot. We just finished a verbal love-fest…I believe that some foreplay is warranted if not a full-on quickie in the bathroom."

Rachel's eyes shot towards the ceiling. How could she love such a tactless man? And she was horrified at herself to realize that he would probably have been able to successfully seduce her with a house full of guests on the other side of their bedroom door. He was just _that_ good.

Removing his hand from Rachel's breast with a pained look on his face, he shoved his body off the bed and crept toward the door. He stood still for a moment until he heard a slight rustling. As Rachel stood up to adjust her clothing, Puck jerked the door open and Miriam fell forward into the bedroom.

"I knew you were listening, you nosy bat!" Puck announced as he caught her before she could land on her face.

Miriam looked startled and guilty. "I…I wasn't listening. I was checking on Rachel. She seemed upset and you two disappeared in here so I wanted to make sure she was okay…the baby…."

Puck groaned. "Mom, you were listening. But it's okay. She's fine. _We're_ fine. Actually, we're great. Now let's go party." Wrapping his arm around Rachel, he guided her outside to rejoin the group of people.

As soon as they walked into the backyard, Finn turned and looked at them. Seeing the grins on both of their faces, he gave Puck a thumbs-up, which Puck returned. Puck walked with Rachel over to the patio table where Quinn and Mercedes were sitting and said, "Girls, I'm leaving Rachel with you…keep her smiling."

He sauntered away and Rachel watched after him, grinning and biting her lip.

Quinn watched the exchange, turned to Rachel, and said, "Holy shit…what's going on with you two?"

"Ohhh nothing…Noah loves me!"

Mercedes and Quinn squealed at the same time.

"'Bout damn time you got those words out of the way," muttered Mercedes.

Quinn nodded in agreement. "Love is so…fantastic." With a dreamy sigh, she looked over at Finn, who was shoving a hotdog into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in months, despite the fact that he was on his third dog in five minutes.

Rachel relaxed back into the green plastic lawn chair. This day had gone from awesome to horrible to fabulous all in the last two hours. But she had already learned: life with Noah Puckerman was definitely like riding a roller coaster - a thrilling, dangerous roller coaster with twists, curves, and loops. Watching her friends as they fixed plates of food before sliding her eyes over to her handsome husband, who met her eyes with a smile from across the yard, she decided that it was worth the ride.

"Uhh…Rachel?" Mercedes asked.

Rachel rolled her head towards the girl. "Yes?"

"Can you please tell me who that fine-ass mocha-skinned brother is over there talking to your hot-for-a-white-guy-husband and why I haven't met him yet?"

"That's Robb. He's one of Puck's best friends."

"Damn, he's sexy. I need to meet him…" Mercedes looked at Rachel hopefully. Giggling, Rachel grabbed Mercedes' hand and pulled her from the chair. She dragged her through the yard, where Robb was in the middle of a conversation with Puck.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I don't mean to interrupt but I need to borrow Noah for just a moment. Noah, honey, I desperately need your assistance."

Puck looked at Rachel, shrugged his shoulders at Robb, and walked away with his wife, leaving Mercedes alone with her target.

"What'd you need, babe?" He asked when they had gotten several feet away.

"Oh, I really didn't. I just needed you to leave Robb alone long enough that Mercedes could talk to him. She's apparently been lusting from afar all afternoon and frankly, I'm in a matchmaking mood."

Puck laughed and muttered, "I bet you are" before capturing her lips in a kiss.

Rachel's stomach started to rumble with hunger after a few moments of inhaling the smell of grilled chicken. She wandered over to the table and began fixing a plate when Puck interrupted everyone with a raised voice.

"I just wanted to thank you all for coming today to celebrate Rachel's graduation. It's a big day for her and I'm proud. In just a few more months, we'll be welcoming our son into the world and I am sure we'll all be together to celebrate his birth as well. But today is about Rachel and her awesome accomplishment…" As Puck finished his mini-speech, people without outstretched arms, holding gifts out to her, suddenly surrounded Rachel. Eyes welling with tears, she thanked everyone and sat the gifts down on the table. She would open those later, in the privacy of their home. And frankly, she didn't care what was inside them. The kindness shown to her was overwhelming and that was the true gift.

After the food was finally all one, an impromptu game of volleyball broke out. While Rachel didn't play, she thought she had the best time of everyone as she sat watched the sunlight play off the planes of her husband's now bare chest. _Slightly sweaty chest… Slightly sweaty, heaving chest…._ Rachel pulled herself from her ogling and watched as Beth spiked the volleyball, it landing right between Finn Hudson's giant feet. Quinn high-fived Beth and they both smirked at the tall, gangly man who was still trying to figure out how he just got owned by a shrimpy teenager.

The guests began leaving a few hours later. Rachel was exhausted by that time thanks to her emotional ride. Before Finn and Quinn left, Quinn whispered, "My gift to you is the one in the red box. Puck will probably enjoy it more than you will!" The two women hugged and promised to get together soon before Finn placed his hand in the small of Quinn's back and guided her through the door.

Puck and Rachel stood on the front porch and waved as the last of their friends left. Puck tucked Rachel into his embrace, his chin resting on the top of her head, as they watched dusk settle over their little piece of Lima, Ohio. He could tell from the tenseness of her shoulders that Rachel was still mulling over the incident with her father today. But Puck knew that at least _she_ knew exactly where she stood with him. He hadn't meant to tell her that he loved her today. Hell no. In fact, he hadn't even admitted it to himself yet. But the changes and the joy she'd brought to his life in the short time were undeniable. Puck's mother always told him (and it was one of the few times when he actually listened to her) that, in life, "Everything happens for a reason." As Rachel relaxed against him, moving his hand down to her belly so that he could feel little Valentino Roberto Puckerman (his new favorite baby name) kick, he was never more thankful for the upheaval that had disrupted his life.

Wordlessly, he pulled her back inside the house and locked the door. Flipping the blinds closed, he pulled his shirt over his head. Rachel watched, unspeaking, because every time he removed his clothing, she felt like she was privy to a Playgirl photo shoot. The defined pectoral muscles, the rippling six-pack – it was _all_ there. She took on the very Puckerman act of leering when he smiled at her as he wriggled his muscular thighs out of his jeans, showing her that once again, he had chosen to go the no-underwear route.

"I'm getting in the shower."

She nodded after him and he walked toward the bedroom. Looking over his shoulder, he called softly, "You can join me if you want."

Rachel didn't move for a moment, watching him disappear into their bedroom. Light filtered into the foyer as he turned the light to the bathroom on. And then she took off after him as fast as her bare feet and pregnant belly would allow. She heard the CD player in the bathroom come on and one of Puck's smoother, jazzier favorites began playing softly. Sliding her pants down her legs, she listened to the water flip on and the shower stall door close.

Completely naked, she padded into the bathroom and knocked on the stall door. Puck was standing under the stream, eyes closed, face upturned into the hot water when she knocked. He turned his head, opened one eye, and grinned at her naked form.

Pulling open the door, she timidly asked, "Can I take you up on the offer of joining you?"

He held out his hand to her and pulled her under the stream with him. Grabbing a body pouf, Puck worked up lather and glided the sudsy mass over her body with extreme gentleness. Rachel let out a groan as his soapy hands slid over her hips. The pouf slid from his grasp and fell onto the shower floor as his hands slid slowly over her hips and down her thighs. Actual bathing forgotten, he backed her up against the damp tiled wall of the shower, bringing his wet face down to hers for a ardent kiss. With deliberate slowness, his lips began sliding over her drenched, heated skin, intent on watching her come apart before they came together under the hot massaging spray.

As Puck first brought Rachel to the edge of oblivion, and then the two of them together, in a steaming shower, soft music swirling through the sounds of rushing water and pleasure, neither one heard the repeated ringing of the bell or heavy, fisted-knockings on the metal door. On the outside of the door, Marcus Berry glowered. He had stopped by this evening hoping to speak to his daughter again. With a calmer head, perhaps he could reason with her about her obvious feelings for her "husband." All day long, the feeling that Rachel was slipping through his fingers left a distasteful lump in his throat. But as he stood knocking and ringing, the lump was slowly replaced by rage. He _knew_ they were home. It was obvious they were home. Ignoring him was unthinkable…


	14. Unsettling Day

**A/N: Insomnia continues. **

* * *

Rachel had never been one to give into self-pity. She'd been dealing with the fact that people had been letting her down her entire life _for _her entire life now. When something unfortunate happened, she quickly picked herself up off the floor and moved on because her eyes were always focused squarely on what really mattered – her future. She was alone in the house a week after graduation, folding her clothes when it hit her: right now, she _should_ be in New York City, searching for her first apartment. Her first audition for Broadway would be right around the corner and she would practically be able to taste her breakthrough. Prior to graduation, the fact that her dreams were gone hadn't really hit her. Yes, she obviously knew that life would be different now that she was pregnant and married to a man she didn't really know all that well, even if she did love him. Yes, she had realized that the dreams she had were gone and she'd have to find and chase new dreams. But while she was busy with school, it still felt like not all that much had changed. Graduating, however, left Rachel with far too much time to think. With no studying to do, no papers to write, not tests to cram for, Rachel had started to reflect on life and how much it had changed. She realized, even as she sat cross-legged on the bed she shared with Noah, that having to give up dreams she'd worked toward since she was four years old was one of the worst things anyone should ever have to do. The past several days, as the blues had settled over her, she'd been able to keep it from Noah. She didn't want him to realize that her heart was breaking for what couldn't be because she _did_ love him and relished in the fact that he'd told her that he felt the same. She _did_ love the little boy growing inside her. She dreamt about him most nights. But she still loved Broadway…she still loved the feeling she got when she belted out a song…she still craved the heat of the spotlight as it warmed up her skin. They were just things that, as much as she tried, were hard to forget.

As she looked around the house she shared with Noah, which was meticulously clean because she had spent the past week sanitizing everything out of boredom, she realized that she needed to occupy her time. Sitting at home, thinking about lost dreams wasn't going to change anything. And in all honesty, she couldn't admit that she wanted them to change, really. She hadn't imagined this life and it wasn't what she had been planning for but Noah...Noah made it all worthwhile. She was married to one of the best looking men she had ever seen and he _loved_ her. That's not the kind of thing an intelligent woman like herself would want to be rid of. Life was simply different than Rachel had planned on it being. But she would adapt. In close to four months, she would have a new title: Mommy. And that? _That_ was more thrilling than even the brightest spotlight. So Rachel sucked up her tears, put away her folded socks, and decided to start making lists. Lists meant she had things to do to keep her occupied.

By the time the afternoon had rolled around, Rachel, with the help of a huge bowl of ice cream, had pulled herself out from her self-pity and had two lists going: one for baby preparations and one of questions she wanted to ask Noah about his life prior to her arrival in it. She knew his heart well, she knew every curve, every muscle, every smooth spot on his body, but there was still so much inside his head that she was not, as of yet, privy to. So now, she was going to focus on pulling those things out into the open. She wanted to know everything that made Noah Puckerman into the wonderful, maddening man he was.

* * *

That same morning that his daughter was feeling particularly conflicted, Marcus Berry was still incensed. He had expected to hear from Rachel in the past week. And when she called, he was going to calmly, not accusingly, ask her why his visit was ignored. And he would calmly remind her that his own daughter was not to ignore him. But she had yet to call. So Marcus made a call of his own that morning. He had many favors out there to use and on that day, he called one in.

* * *

Puck and Finn were working on a '68 Camero when it happened: His boss walked into the body shop with four police officers in tow.

"Guys…I need you to stop working. The police are here with a search warrant," his boss, Jeff, announced to the six workers in the shop at that moment.

"What the hell for?" was Puck's response, looking slightly alarmed.

An officer stepped forward. "We have received reliable information that there is drug activity originating out of this business. Now, please stay where you are so that we can search you…."

The next half hour passed by in a blur. The other five workers were gently padded down. Puck was shoved face-first into a wall and frisked for five minutes, even having to remove his shoes. Next, Puck stood to the side, unmoving but with knuckles balled and jaw clenched, as his toolbox was emptied and inspected. Once they were finished with the inside, they inspected everyone's vehicles. Puck noticed that they spent three times longer on his car than they did on everyone else's. This whole thing was _bullshit_ and something didn't feel right. Drug raids on businesses in Lima, Ohio in the middle of a weekday afternoon? That shit just didn't happen there.

When Puck walked in the door from work three hours early and with a horrible look on his face, Rachel knew something was wrong. He flopped down on the couch and pulled her into her lap, absentmindedly slipping her hair through his fingers without saying anything.

"What's wrong, Noah? You look awful."

"There was a drug raid at work today," he said solemnly. Rachel's hand flew to cover her mouth.

"What? Why?"

"Fuck if I know. All I know is that they spent triple the amount of time investigating me and my shit as they did anyone else's. _That_ didn't go unnoticed by my boss, who hauled my ass into his office after the cops left and accused me of bringing the shit down on the place. The cops didn't find anything, _of course_, so Jeff had no recourse but he was pissed and I was their target so he took it out on me. Then after he realized he wasn't going to get anywhere because I hadn't done anything wrong, he closed the shop down for the rest of the day. I'm sure he's at the fucking bar by now." Puck rubbed his face with his hand. "What a fucking disaster," he added.

"That's horrible! Why would they focus on you? You don't do drugs!"

"Why the fuck are they raiding the place anyway? This is Lima, not Miami!"

Puck pushed Rachel off his lap and dropped a kiss on her lips. "I'm going to go for a run to try to burn off some of this rage."

She watched him go, her stomach fluttering in a way that couldn't be blamed on the baby. What in the world was going on?

After Puck's run, he showered and flung himself down in front of the television. Rachel fixed lasagna and breadsticks for dinner and as they sat down, Rachel desperately wanted to distract Noah from the awful events of the day so she pulled out her list.

Puck saw the piece of paper, full of Rachel's familiar scrawl, and pointed at it with his fork. "What's that, babe?"

She smiled at him as she took a gulp of iced tea. "I realized today that there is, of course, still a lot that you and I don't know about one another. We're doing this whole thing backwards, you know…baby, marriage, falling in love, and _then_ really getting to know one another. So this list…this will answer some of my burning questions about you." She leaned back in her chair, satisfied.

Puck stared at her and then down at the list. He wasn't sure _what_ he was getting himself into but Rachel was looking at him with _those_ eyes.

Finally he smiled at her and said, "lay it on me, babe."

She grabbed the list and skimmed down the questions. Looking up at him, she said, "Okay, first question: What is your favorite birthday memory from childhood?"

Puck took a bite of his lasagna, chewed, and swallowed. "That's easy! When I was seven, I wanted a pair of cowboy boots and a pool table for my birthday. Mom said I couldn't have both and that I had to pick one. But I refused because…well…they were both so bitchin'. But she kept telling me that I had to pick and I totally refused. She just didn't get that they _had_ to come together. So on my birthday, I came downstairs and there it was: one of those child-sized pool tables with a pair of gray cowboy boots sitting in the middle of it. It was so awesome! I remember putting the boots on with my Superman pajamas and playing pool for most of the day." Puck replayed the day in his mind for a moment and then added, "Damn, that was a great day."

Rachel grinned, her smile making her eyes shimmer. This was exactly the kind of thing she wanted to know about her husband.

"Next?" he asked her, shoving half a breadstick into his mouth.

She glanced back down at her list. "What's your biggest fear?"

Puck scowled. That wasn't an easy question. He feared a lot of things: failure, impotency, snakes, impotency, losing his hair, impotency.... "Umm…more than anything? I'm afraid of letting you and our baby down. I'm afraid of turning out like my dad, I think. "

Rachel said quietly, "You won't, you know…."

"I won't what?"

"You won't let us down…and you won't turn out like your father."

Puck cocked his head at the beautiful woman across from him. "But how do you know?"

Rachel stood up from the table and walked over to his seat. He pushed his chair back and she settled into his lap. "You won't be like your father because you're so aware of him and what he did to you and your mom and your sister. No, Noah Puckerman, you won't be like your father…or my father…you're going to be your own wonderful type of father and our son is very lucky to have you already."

Puck fisted Rachel's hair and roughly kissed her, afraid his emotions were going to betray him. He didn't feel like being a huge pussy in front of Rachel today, even if it had been an awful day. But with her on his lap and lasagna in his belly, the day was slightly better now.

Rachel popped off his lap and went back to her own side of the table.

Puck looked at her as she looked down at her list. "Now you, babe."

She looked up. "Me?"

"Yup…I wanna know this stuff about you, too."

She thought for a moment. "My biggest fear is that I'm going to be a bad mother. I'm afraid I'll drop him or forget to feed him or leave him alone in the house or something awful. Or what if I try to force him to walk too soon...or I sing to him too much and he goes deaf?" She watched Puck's lips upturn as he started to laugh. She scowled at him. "It's not funny. What if I force too many show tunes on him and he grows up to be a serial killer?"

Puck continued to laugh, loving the way she bit her lip when she was stressed. Puffing up his chest, he spoke, "But if I'm going to be such an awesome dad, you don't have to worry about that. I got your back, babe."

She grinned, blowing him a kiss. "And my favorite childhood birthday memory?"

"That would be for my sixteenth birthday, when my dad took me to New York City and we spent a weekend at six different Broadway shows. That was an amazing weekend."

Puck watched her talk about Broadway and didn't miss the sadness that flashed into her eyes momentarily. And even though it was gone just as fast as it had come, it left a burning in his chest because he knew she still thought about Broadway a lot. His deepest hope was the he could give her a life that made her _not_ regret the choices she had made. That's all he _could_ do, besides love her.

After dinner, Puck helped Rachel clean up the dishes and then they snuggled under the blankets and watched TV until he saw Rachel starting to nod off. He shook her awake and then wrapped his arm around her to guide her sleepy form into the bedroom. He sat on the bed, watching as she changed into her nightgown. He loved looking at her…she was beautiful. And the bigger her stomach got, the more breathtaking she became.

Once she was changed, he shucked his own clothes and they snuggled under the plush comforter. Puck leaned over and kissed Rachel deeply before flipping off the light.

In the darkness, he whispered, "love you, babe."

"I love you too," she whispered back before rolling on her side to face him.

They lay quietly for a few minutes, both still thinking about their day. Rachel heard Puck suck in a breath like he was going to say something but didn't. A few minutes later, he did it again.

"Noah, what's wrong?"

Puck tucked an arm under his head, staring out into the darkness of their bedroom.

"This may sound crazy but I…I think that what happened today had something to…"

She cut him off. "…with my father. Yes, I know."

Puck flipped on his side so that he was now facing Rachel. "But why would he do something like that?"

"Because he can," she said quietly. "The police chief has always been in his back pocket. I've heard him reference their "relationship" several times when he's leveling threats. Perhaps he used it this time…."

"But why? I just don't get it. He _wanted_ me to marry you, remember?"

Rachel scooted close to Puck so that they were practically nose-to-nose. He threw his arm over her waist, pulling her as close as the baby bump would allow.

"But he didn't plan on us getting along. And he definitely didn't plan on us falling in love. I've been thinking about this since the graduation blow-up. By me marrying you - being forced into it - he was still able to control me. But now that you and I have a real marriage, he has a lot less pull….So maybe he hoped they'd find drugs and you'd go to jail. Or maybe he hoped the whole thing would get you fired. That gives him the power back...."

Puck exhaled, thinking about the anger Marcus Berry showed at Rachel's graduation, then leaned forward and brushed his lips against Rachel's softly. "He's not coming between us…You know that, right?"

She nodded in the darkness and kissed him again. "He can't."

Her two simple words went a long way to soothe him. Feeling less tense than he had all day, Puck nudged Rachel to roll over the other way. She scooted back against him and he tucked the long lines of his body against hers and threw his arm around her, his hand lying protectively over his son. In the quiet, he stroked her belly with his thumb until they both were lulled to sleep.


	15. Games

Noah Puckerman had a bullseye on his back. Less than a week after the supposed "drug raid" at his job, he had been pulled over by the Lima cops no less than six times. He had so many tickets for various infractions (going 7 miles over the speed limit? Really? Driving too fast in the rain? REALLY?) that he was going to have to take out a loan just to pay for them all. Marcus Berry was out to _fuck him up_, Puck had no doubt.

By the time the weekend arrived, Puck was at his wit's end. Rachel was a tense, jittery mess because she was convinced that Noah was going to call her from the jail at any moment, needing to be bailed out. For the first time in his short life with her, he saw her come completely unhinged when discussing her father (she threw a full box of spaghetti across the kitchen when Puck told her about his latest ticket.)

Friday night, Puck called Rachel on the way home from work and told her he was going to run by his mom's house. He had yet to talk to her about the whole Marcus Berry thing and after his hellish week, he knew he needed to. If there was one person on the entire earth who could dole out as much shit as Marcus and get away with it, it was Miriam Puckerman.

Puck slammed into his childhood home, causing his mom to jerk her head up from the cookbook she was reading.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, her eyes focused on her son's clenched jaw.

Puck pulled out a chair and sat down. Dropping his head into his hands, he said, "Fucking Marcus Berry, that's what."

"Rachel's father? What's going on with him? I thought he stayed out of the way."

Puck snorted. Grabbing the chair next to him, he pulled it out and said, "Sit, Mom."

Miriam, looking concerned because her son _never_ really wanted to talk, sat next to him, glancing at his frustrated frame expectantly. For the next half-hour, Puck told Miriam the entire story, starting with the facts she already knew (the forced marriage and the money) and ending with his latest interaction with Lima's finest.

When he was finished speaking, he lifted his head and looked at his mother, expecting words of comfort. Instead, she said, "And?"

"And? And what? This whole thing is fucked up. We just want to be left alone. Rachel doesn't need this stress during her pregnancy, either. I want all this to just…go away…"

Miriam scrunched her brow and stared, perplexed at her son for a moment. Then she raised her hand and proceeded to smack Puck on the back of his handsome head. "What is so complicated, stupid? Move out of his damn house and give back the money. Then there is no connection to him!"

Puck glared at his mother. She always made it seem so easy. Except..."Where would we live?"

"You love Rachel, right?"

He nodded, his heart doing that stupid little gay-ass fluttering in his chest every time he pictured those chocolate brown eyes gazing at him. "Didn't expect to...sure as shit didn't plan to... but yeah, I do...."

"Then it doesn't matter where you live. Home will be home, where ever it is, because that is where she and the baby are. And," Miriam smiled, "my dear, dumb Noah, there is a house for rent three doors down from here. It isn't nearly as big as the house you're in now but more importantly, it isn't owned by Marcus Berry!"

Incredulously, Puck glared at his mother. "Live three doors down from you? Fuck no!"

"Free babysitting...." she simply offered. Puck perked up. _That's riiiight....free babysitting._

A while later, Puck pushed open the door to the house he shared with Rachel. He couldn't wait to talk to her about his conversation with his mother...and then get her into bed. Since all the stress had started, sex had taken a back burner and _that shit_ wasn't cool. But when he walked in, the house was dark except for one lamp on in the living room, which was illuminating Rachel. She was curled up under a blanket with a tissue in her hand, crying. He dropped his stuff and ran to her. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Rachel looked up at him, sniffling. Tears ran down her cheeks. "A woman...a woman stopped by here about an hour ago and was thoughtful enough to tell me that you...you fathered her child and then ran out on her."

Puck's head started to pound. _What the fuck? _He pushed himself off the couch to stand in front of Rachel. "That's a fucking _lie_ Rachel. That is an absolute FUCKING LIE. You are the first, _and only_, woman that I have ever gotten pregnant. I swear. And run out? You know that's bullshit, baby...you know that."

Rachel sobbed into the blanket and Puck stood there helplessly, his heart hammering because he needed for her to believe him. Puck dropped to his knees again by the couch and scooted up to her. "Baby...baby...look at me." He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face. He thumbed her tears away and said, "That shit isn't true...Please...you have to believe me." He didn't want to beg but he would if he had to.

Rachel nodded. His eyes searched her face as she formulated her words. "I'm not crying because of what the woman said, Noah. I don't even believe her. In fact, my very intelligence is insulted by the insinuation that I am stupid enough to fall for such a flimsy, pathetic grasping-of-straws. I'm crying because my father is working SO hard to split us up all of the sudden...." She looked away, off into the dark room, before turning to meet his hazel eyes again. "I'm crying because I don't have a father that loves me...or even cares what he does to me. Instead, he sends some random woman, who I vaguely recognized so I think she works for him, over here pretending that you're a deadbeat to push me away from you. Instead, I feel like I'm living in a poorly written soap opera. What kind of _bullshit_ is that?" She punctuated the swear word for added effect.

Puck grabbed Rachel's shoulders and crushed her into a hug. Relief washed over him that she wasn't doubting _him_. He could handle any of the annoying, amateur shit that Marcus Berry lobbed at the both of them without a problem. But he couldn't handle it if Rachel doubted him.

They held each other for a few minutes while Puck silently stroked her hair. Once her body began to relax and the sobs eased away, he pulled back and looked at her. "What would you say if I suggested that we cut all ties to your dad? Give him his fucking money back and move out of this house?"

Rachel gaped. "You'd...you'd do that for me?"

Puck let out a strangled laugh. "Are you kidding? I haven't touched the money anyway. I would rather be broke as shit and with you than have all that money and lose you. You and this baby," his hands slid to her stomach, "are what matters. Not this fucking house and not his damn money."

New sobs took over Rachel's body as the severity of Puck's words sunk in. "But...but where would we live?"

Puck sighed. "Mom told me tonight that there is a small house for rent three doors down from her. If you want, we will go look at it tomorrow."

Rachel's eyes lit up, happiness glimmering through her tears. "I would _love_ to live so close to your mother!"

With an audible groan, Puck said, "Well, at least one of us will be happy then." Turning her head toward him again, he said, "But if that means we get out of this house and out from under his thumb, I will live in a refrigerator box. I just want you...that's all... I just want our family." He leaned forward and kissed her gently. She sighed into his embrace, burying her nose against his collarbone.

"So, babe, do you want to look at the house?"

"Yes, Noah...let's look at that house!"

* * *

At 9am the next morning, the landlord met Puck and Rachel on the outside of the small house down the street from Miriam. Unlocking the door, he motioned for the couple to go inside. The house was definitely tiny compared to their current home. The living room was less than half the size and there was a large eat-in kitchen in place of the kitchen and dining room they enjoyed now. Upstairs, there were three small bedrooms and no master baths with separate Jacuzzi tubs and shower stalls and definitely no walk-in closets.

Puck was sure, looking around, that Rachel would hate it. She was used to luxury. The home she had shared with her father was practically a mansion. The house they shared together, while not opulent, was definitely on the higher-end of the scale. This house spoke of simplicity.

As they walked back down the stairs, Rachel threw her arms around Puck's neck. "I love it." Surprised, he questioned her. "Really? It isn't elegant at all. It's just a boring, simple house."

"I want it, Noah. It's close to your mom, which will really help out after the baby comes. And…if we move, maybe things will get better. Let's take it."

Twenty minutes later, Puck and Rachel had written out a check and had the keys to the new, tiny house that they would call home. The landlord would return tomorrow, while they were moving, to have them sign the lease. As they drove away, Puck picked up his cell phone and called out for reinforcements. He wanted the house packed up and everything moved _tomorrow._ And once they were out, he was going to have a nice, calm little chat with Marcus Berry once and for all.

When Puck and Rachel pulled back into their driveway, Rachel saw a folded piece of paper jammed between the screen door and the latch. While Puck fished out his keys, she opened it and read. And then she began laughing.

Puck pushed the front door open and stared at her, bewildered, as she stood giggling on the porch.

"What is it, babe?"

She wordlessly handed the note to him. When he was finished reading, his laughter joined hers.

The note read:

**Dearest Rachel,**

**It has come to my attention, thanks to the cordial relationship that I have with the Chief of Police, that your "husband" has had more than one brush with the law as of late. I have waited for you to call me to discuss this very serious matter but since you have failed to do so, I stopped by. Since you were not available, I expect to hear from you in the ****very**** near future. We need to discuss the seriousness of the matter. While I initially believed that this union was the best thing possible to protect the Berry name, my opinions have since changed. I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to continue in a relationship with a common criminal.**

**I await your call,**

**Daddy **

"Rach…babe…do you think he's gone off the deep end?" Puck asked as he wrapped his arm around a still giggling Rachel around the waist and pulled her into the house.

She kissed his nose and said, "No. But I think he's dealing with a foe like he has never seen before."

Puck smirked. "I am pretty badass, aren't I?"

Rachel pinched his arm. "I wasn't talking about _you._ I was talking about love. I don't think Daddy has a clue what to do when he's trying to battle _that_ emotion. I think he still believes that this "arrangement" can be easily un-arranged by just staging a few little stupid pull-overs or some false baby mama drama. But Daddy forgets, I always have been smarter than he is. Despite how it appears, I don't normally fall prey to the hysteria typical of women. And he has also forgotten that I am no longer 5 years old! He forced us together and guess what? We're staying that way."

Puck locked his lips to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her. Assuagement eased through his pores because tomorrow, Marcus Berry was going to be figuratively _castrated_ at the hands of Noah FUCKING Puckerman and he was going to enjoy it immensely.


	16. Checkmate

**A/N: Sorry my updates have slowed down for those of you used to me updating daily. Massive amounts of family drama have been kicking my butt lately and it really kills the mood to do anything but sit, sulk, and wish we could move to Siberia.**

* * *

By 8am on Saturday morning, the soon-to-be-former Puckerman home was buzzing with activity. Puck had called Finn, Jimmy, and Robb to help out. Quinn, Mercedes, Miriam, and Beth showed up too. Miriam basked in the loving adoration she received when she walked in carrying two dozen donuts and a huge coffee cake. She sat it all down on the dining room table and watched the boys dig in. Turning to Rachel, who was leaning against the kitchen cabinets in a pair of yoga pants and a loose shirt, she said, "Honey, you tell me what to do and we'll do it."

Rachel looked at her group of friends and family, slightly overwhelmed that when Puck requested help, they had received it in force. She couldn't believe they were really moving today. She nearly shivered at the idea of being free of her father's control. While her marriage to Noah, so far, had been thrilling, she believed that life post-Marcus Berry had the opportunity to be amazing.

Refocusing, she looked at the massive stack of boxes Finn had brought with him. "Well, we can start taping boxes up so we can pack. And the guys can go ahead and start loading the bigger furniture and take it on over to the house."

"Sounds like a plan," Jimmy said, snagging another donut and heading toward the living room.

Puck took a few steps toward Rachel and wrapped his hands around to her behind, pulling her close and tucking her into his body. Leaning down so that they were eye level, he looked like he was going to whisper something seductive. She tingled from his touch. "Rach…baby…if you lift anything heavier than a box of socks, I will kick your ass."

Rachel erupted with laughter and then bit her lip and nodded with understanding. "I promise to be very careful."

"Awesome." Puck kissed her on her nose and then slapped her butt. "Now get busy. We gotta get moved today!"

Everyone broke apart and went their separate ways, intent on getting the house packed up so that moving could happen quickly.

Several hours later, most of the large furniture had been moved to the new house and the living room was piled high with boxes. The only rooms left to pack up were the kitchen and the room Noah had slept in briefly. Everything else was nearly ready to go. Rachel and Quinn lugged boxes upstairs to the old room and began offloading items off shelves. Rachel felt her energy starting to go and slumped to the floor.

"Are you okay, Rachel?" Quinn asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just really tired. I can't wait to crawl into bed. Moving stinks…and now I've done it twice since I got pregnant!"

Quinn patted her on the shoulder. "Well just think…as soon as you get moved, you can finally set up the baby's nursery!"

Rachel quickly turned her head towards Quinn, her eyes sparkling. "That's riiiight! Next Saturday, you and I are going nursery shopping!"

Quinn squealed and clapped her hands together. "It will be fabulous!"

Rachel and Quinn finished up the room and headed down the stairs loaded up with boxes. Just then, Puck walked in. Rachel's mouth formed a silent "O" when she realized that he busted her carrying a big box.

Puck stood in the door, glaring at her. "Puckerman, that better be a box of pillows you're carrying. I don't want to have to lock you in the truck until we're done."

He reached for the box and glared at her when he realized how heavy it was. She raised her hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry...no more, I swear. I'm just eager to get done!"

* * *

By 6pm that evening, the old Puckerman house was empty. Puck shut off the lights as he made a pass-through to make sure everything was out of the house. With a final, melancholy glance toward the wall that he and Rachel had made love up against more than once, he flipped off the one remaining light and closed the door. Locking it for the last time, he considered that Step One of his two-step plan to eliminate Marcus Berry from their lives to be complete. Step Two would commence shortly.

When he got back to their new house, Rachel was lying on the couch. Beth was fawning over her and everyone else had already left, all exhausted, sweaty, and tired. Puck leaned down and dropped a kiss on Rachel's forehead. She smiled up at him and ran her hands over his hair, pulling his head down to meet her lips. She heard Beth mutter "gross" under her breath and Rachel laughed against Puck's mouth.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked around the house. Boxes were everywhere and it was a total disaster. But it was home now. And they would unpack soon. But first…first he needed to go cut the head off of the Berry beast.

"Rach, I'm going to head to your father's now. Do you need anything?"

"No, Noah. Just be careful. And I know he's not a nice man but please don't punch him. I'm too tired to bail you out tonight."

He smiled, letting a soft laugh escape his lips. "Don't worry, babe. I'm going to put on the Puckerman charm. Calm. Cool. Collected. Badass."

"Are we ready to go?" Miriam asked, shouldering her purse.

Puck looked over at her, obviously confused. "We?"

"Of course. I'm not letting you go alone. He may say you assaulted him or something. I'm going as a witness."

Puck blew out a breath. "Mom, you're not going...."

"Yes, I am, Noah. This is not up for discussion. Now let's go."

Looking for a little help, Puck swiveled his head over to Rachel. She just raised her eyebrows at him and blew him a kiss. Shrugging, Puck kissed her again. "Wish me luck," he whispered. She pecked him on the cheek and said, "You will be fine....And thank you."

"Anything for you, baby."

Puck headed for the door with Miriam in tow. As much as he tried, he couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of dread that seemed to be taking over his body. He just wanted this whole mess over with.

* * *

A half-hour later, Puck and Miriam walked stoically into Marcus' Berry massive, intimidating study. Marcus was seated behind the desk, reading through the _Wall Street Journal._ He looked up when the two entered and a look of displeasure graced his bloated face.

"Mr. Puckerman...to what do I owe this…uh...pleasure?" He asked dryly.

Puck shoved his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. Without a word, he shoved the envelope into Marcus' hands. Marcus opened the envelope, his eyes bulging when he saw a Cashier's check for the entire sum of money that he had given Puck months earlier.

A smile tugged at the corners of Marcus' mouth as he studied the numbers printed across the front of the check. Miriam, standing silently in the corner, had the urge to smack the smug look off his face.

Marcus looked up from the envelope, his eyes locking with Puck's. "So you decided to leave my daughter, then?"

Puck, thoroughly amused by Marcus' temporary glee, sat down in a chair and propped his thick-soled shoes on the edge of the oak desk. He said nothing for a moment, silently studying the laces of his shoes. His eyes traveled to the soles, where he noticed a clump of mud clinging to the tread. He moved his foot, scraping the mud over the edge of the expensive desk until the dirt crumbled from his shoe and onto the shiny surface. Satisfied, Puck stretched his leg back out and looked up at Marcus, who was glaring at the pile of dirt on his desk.

"Nope, still with her. Plan on staying with her, too." Puck flashed Marcus a white toothy grin (just to be an asshole.)

Marcus blinked once. "I don't understand then, obviously, why you are presenting me with this check."

Puck linked his fingers behind his head, relaxing deeper into the leather chair. "I'm staying with Rachel and with our son."

"Then why do I have this check in my hand?" Marcus repeated, the anger in his voice rising as he clearly did not understand what the young man before him was trying to say.

"Because...We're doing this marriage _without_ your fucking money," Puck growled, removing his feet from the desk and standing up.

Marcus opened his mouth and then closed it again. His eyes narrowed as he looked from the check in his hand back to Puck.

"Are you stupid, Mr. Puckerman? Why would you give up this money and stay married? That is hardly what you want."

Puck grinned an evil grin. "Don't tell me what the fuck I want. Marcus...it's like this: During this sick, twisted game you've been playing, your daughter and I went and fell in love. And that means, rich or poor, I am not leaving her side. So why the fuck would I keep that money, when you will just continue to use it against us? I can _still _have Rachel and the baby without your bullshit. Actually, life is gonna be pretty fan-fucking-tastic if you aren't part of it."

Marcus started to speak but Puck stopped him, on a roll now and determined to speak his mind. "I don't expect you to understand a damn thing about human emotions. I can tell just by looking at this God-awful house that you're all about the outward appearance and not what's inside. I know, for a fact, that you don't know shit about what it's like to love someone. It's obvious to everyone that your daughter has never known her father's love. But now? Now she doesn't need your fake attempts at love because she knows that, with you, it's all about fucking control. She only needs one man in her life...one who actually gives a damn about her. And that man? That's me."

Marcus' face went red. From her vantage point in the back of the room, Miriam was positive she could see a vein bulging in his neck. Her son's speech sent shivers of pride down her spine. _He's so much like me!_

Marcus dropped the envelope, it fluttering to his desk silently. "Do you really think it's that simple, Mr. Puckerman? Do you really think I will just go away? I don't like you. I think you're bad for my daughter and for our family's reputation."

"Newsflash, _asshole_. It was _you_ that insisted we get married. Maybe you should have thought the whole thing out _before_ you decided to force your scared, pregnant daughter into a marriage she didn't want. You were so worried about your fucking reputation…but outside of your little circle of rich motherfuckers, the rest of the world doesn't give a shit about you. My reputation may not be the greatest but I can tell you one thing: I would _die_ to protect your daughter - my wife - and my son. I know that you can't say the same."

The flesh of Marcus' face went from various shades of red before settling on a purplish hue. His chest rose and fell unevenly. For a moment, Puck thought the older man was going to fall down. Marcus placed his hands on his desk and steadied himself. Looking up, his eyes locked with Puck's. "I still believe I can talk some sense into my daughter," Marcus said smugly.

Puck decided to play his final Ace. Removing the keys to the house from his pocket, he tossed them at Marcus. He caught them and looked down. "What's this?"

"Keys to that shithole of a house that you so graciously allowed us to live in. We don't live there anymore."

Marcus gripped the keys in his fist, squeezing them until they bit into his flesh. "You won't get away with this, Puckerman. I have far, _far_ too many connections for you to think you can treat me with such disrespect and simply get away with it."

Just then, Miriam stepped forward and broke her silence. "Mr. Berry? You don't know me but I'm Miriam Puckerman. I was just curious if you were familiar with the editor of the _Lima Register_?"

Marcus scowled. The editor of that newspaper was a big-mouthed bastard who had been nipping at Marcus' heels for years, trying to catch him in shady dealings. Marcus had never used his power to get at the man because he knew it would end up as newspaper fodder. Instead, they had a silent hatred for one another.

"I know that bastard," Marcus spat out.

Miriam smiled. "Good. Then you are aware that he has used his editorial page to question the truth about your "good works" for several years now while the _Lima Chronicle_ kisses your ass?" Marcus said nothing so Miriam continued. "Anyway, that bastard editor? _He_ happens to be my cousin. And he would simply _love_ to find out that you have the Lima Police Department tasked with harassing your pregnant daughter's husband. And he would simply adore knowing about the fake drug bust you arranged to try to get my Noah fired. Causing your own daughter's husband to be unemployed just because you have a personal vendetta? _Scandalous_! It would be front page news. In fact, I can see the headline now." Miriam raised her hand in the air, dramatically swiping it across the open space in front of her as she spoke. "Local Philanthropist Bribes Cops" or perhaps "Local Hero Actually Villain." Ohhh...it would be wonderful, don't you think so, honey?" She asked Puck, who stood there in silent awe at his chattering mother.

Puck nodded meekly at Miriam, feeling very much like a child again when she was in "Mama Bear" mode. "Yes, Mom...I think it would be awesome."

Marcus threw the keys on his desk. They landed with a thud on top of the check. "What do you want me to do?" he growled.

"I want you to call off your dogs. Leave Noah and Rachel alone. If the Lima Police Department so much as walks into a store when my Noah is in it, I'll make a phone call. You may have the rest of this town bamboozled but me? I'm far too poor to give a crap about your philanthropy. We Puckermans are about survival and protecting our own. " Miriam stepped forward. "And you're messing with _my_ Noah, _my Rachel_, and _my_ unborn grandson. If I wasn't such a classy woman, I'd slash the tires on your Lincoln Town Car just to remind you that a woman's wrath isn't pleasant."

Puck let out a belly laugh. His mother was _fucking hilarious! _He was glad she had decided to tag along now.

Marcus nodded silently at Miriam, who stood staring him down with daggers in her eyes. Puck, deciding he'd better end the "Miriam Puckerman Hour" while they were still ahead, stood to leave.

"It's been great chatting with you, sir. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to head back to my new home to see my wife. I won't bother to send her your love because she's really sensitive, due to the baby and all, and bullshit turns her stomach."

Puck and Miriam were almost out the door when Puck turned back. "And Marcus? If you decide you want to be a _real_ father and grandfather, give me a call. Rachel's cell phone number has been changed so you won't be able to reach her." Puck put two fingers to his forehead and gave Marcus a little salute, then grabbed the handle to the door and pulled it closed behind him.

Miriam turned to smile at Puck. He grabbed her into a hug and whispered, "Thanks, Mom," into her hair.

She kissed his cheek. "Anything for my babies. Now let's get out of here. This house gives me the damn creeps."


	17. Bedrooms

**A/N: Sorry this is delayed. After a crappy week, it has ended much better! We adopted a puppy from the local Humane Society. YAY! Roxie, a nearly 4-month-old Terrier/Pit Bull mix is joining Kyle, our 11-year-old German Shepherd, as our newest furbaby. YAY! She is SOOOOOOOO adorable. I hope Kyle adjusts to having a puppy around. Anyway….that's why this is delayed. Gotta spend time with my babies! We just brought her home this afternoon (picked her out yesterday but had to take Kyle to meet her before she could come home with us) and she is CRAZY-hyper. Her little body practically vibrates with boundless energy and she doesn't actually walk anywhere – she seems to BOUNCE!**

* * *

Rachel's eyes slowly drifted open as the morning light began to filter through the blinds. She tried to focus on the dresser, which she faced when lying on her side, but her eyes drifted closed again. She felt a zing of heat run down her spine as the gentle, almost ghost-like pressure of lips moved over her exposed shoulder and down her arm. Forcing her eyes open, she turned her head back towards Noah, who was leaning over her, fully awake and grinning like a madman.

"Morning, Beautiful," he rasped in his daybreak voice.

Rachel stretched. "Morning…did you sleep well?"

He nodded, leaning forward to capture her lips with his. While they kissed, his fingertips danced their way down her side, sliding down her hips and around her ever-rounding belly, before sliding back up and cupping her breasts. Rachel sighed contentedly into his mouth. Times like these made her appreciate the fact that he had convinced her to start sleeping in the nude (even if she had felt like a complete harlot the first few nights she had slept that way.)

Breaking the kiss, Rachel whispered, "Are you feeling particularly aroused this morning, Noah?"

Puck shook his head, bending to gently nip at her shoulder with his teeth. "Not more than any other morning. I just feel like doing something about it this morning."

Rachel pushed herself up on a shoulder, turning her head to kiss him again. Puck slid closer so that her body was flush against hers. She could feel his arousal, already quite thick, tucked against her buttocks. Instinctively, she backed up and ground herself against him. He groaned into her ear, his hand snaking up to pull and twist at her nipples. She cried out into his mouth, the sensitivity nearly causing her to come undone.

Puck slid his lips from her mouth, over her jaw, and down her neck. Rachel let out a low hum deep in her throat as she felt his lips, slick and hot, burn a trail across her body. Puck's hands moved down her thighs, settling on a knee, which he hitched up and lifted over his leg, giving him access to her core. She moaned, pushing back against him, as his index finger made gentle contact with her center. He laughed into her ear when he discovered how soaked she already was. Her responsiveness always drove him crazy. Collecting the moisture from her center with the pad of his index finger, he dragged it up and circled her clit. Rachel rocked her hips against him, urging him to fill her. Puck glanced his fingers down her slit, roughly pushing his middle finger inside her. Rachel's head lulled forward, hair brushing across the pillow in front of her, as he manipulated her body with his fingers. When she was slick, hot, and dripping for him, he removed his fingers, palmed his cock, and rubbed the head up her folds, making contact with her clit. He applied pressure, pushing himself against her until she mewed. Grinning, he slid back down and pushed his full length inside her. Rachel groaned as he slid in, fire shooting through her body.

Puck placed his large hand on Rachel's hip, giving him leverage as he thrust into her. His other hand snaked under her side and cupped a breast, loving the way it bounced into his hand as he pounded into her.

"Ohh…Noah…." Rachel moaned. Suddenly, Puck stopped thrusting and became motionless, buried to the hilt inside Rachel. Other than the rough rising and falling of his chest, he didn't move. She backed against him, trying to goad him into thrusting again, to no avail. Frustrated and annoyed, Rachel looked over her shoulder at him.

"Why'd you stop?"

Puck stared at the closed bedroom door. "I thought I heard something."

"Well I don't hear anything…" she said, not hiding the irritation. She shoved herself back against him again and squeezed her vaginal muscles, milking him. "_Please_...." she finally begged, growing slightly frantic at being left unfulfilled. He groaned and slowly began thrusting again.

"Guess it was nothing," he said before attaching his lips to her neck. Rachel's hand snaked up, sliding around his face and settling on his scalp, where she held tight as his thrusts increased.

"Getting fucking close, baby…."he rasped a few minutes later, his thrusts becoming more erratic.

"Noah….Noah….soo…..so……." She was nearly breathless, desperate for release.

Just then, their bedroom door swung. Wide-eyed, Rachel and Puck both stared at their intruder, unmoving and petrified.

Miriam stood in the doorway, her eyes quickly glancing over the naked couple. Turning a deep crimson, her eyes widened like saucers before she squeezed them shut tightly and then covered her eyes for added effect. "I am soooo sorry!" She screamed.

"Mom! GET. THE. FUCK. OUT!!!" Puck yelled.

Rachel, completely humiliated, could do nothing but hide her head under a pillow.

She heard the door slam closed and whispered, "Is she gone?"

"Yessss..." Puck seethed.

Rachel peeked her head out from under her pillow and looked back at him. "Well, I guess that killed the mood."

Puck's chest rumbled with laughter as his eyes skimmed over her swollen breasts, then down her side and over her firm ass, before settling on the spot where they were still joined. His hazel eyes darkened, glazing over at the sight and he grunted, "The fuck it did…c'mere baby." Slipping out of her, he rolled onto her back and pulled her on top of him. Her belly was in the way at first, until he slipped back inside her and began guiding her up and down on his cock with his hands on her hips. He hit her G-spot once and she cried out. Puck loved that sound. It only made him harder. He hit the spot again as his finger pressed against Rachel's clit. He felt her walls tighten, clench, and then finally spasm around him. Watching her throw her head forward, lips pressed tightly together to suppress her moans thanks to the fact that his mother was downstairs, he felt himself swell and then erupt inside her.

Rachel slid off his body and collapsed next to him. Breathing heavy, she said, "I'm not going downstairs. I don't think I can face your mother after she saw us having sex."

Puck flung an arm across his damp forehead. "It's her own fucking fault. She needs to learn to knock….why the hell did we give her a key, anyway?"

Rachel laughed. "We thought it was a good idea at the time?"

"Well, we're both obviously stupid. Hell, it's not like she doesn't know we have sex. You are pregnant, you know."

Rachel began giggling as she pictured Miriam's face. The look of abject horror would have been hilarious if it wasn't positively mortifying. "Noah, do you think your mom will learn to knock now?"

* * *

When Puck finally coerced Rachel to come downstairs a half-hour later, they found Miriam cooking breakfast. She didn't look up when they walked in the room but her face turned red again.

"I swear I will knock from now on," she mumbled, staring intently at the cooking bacon.

Puck glared at her. "Ya think? Geez, Mom… That was horrible. Lucky for you, I was still able to…"

"Noah Puckerman," Rachel spat from the other side of the kitchen, "if you finish that sentence, you _will no__t_ have to worry about your mother EVER walking in on us again. I assure you of that!"

Puck smirked, raising his hands in surrender. "Okay…okay. Just sayin'…you're married to a stud who pleases his woman, _regardless_ of the circumstances."

Rachel rolled her eyes, wishing she could go hide in the bedroom. _How completely humiliating._

* * *

"So what happened next?" Quinn asked, nearly doubled-over with laughter as she and Rachel made their way to the furniture store to shop for the nursery.

Rachel glanced at Quinn sheepishly. "He…he decided we were going to finish anyway….so we did." Rachel's face flamed red.

Quinn stopped, grabbed Rachel's arm, and wiped tears from her cheeks.

"So the whole "Miriam being three doors down will be awesome" thing….is that still going on?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Rachel said, "I love her to death…I just hope she realizes that she needs to knock!"

"I'm pretty sure that after seeing her son's dick in you, she'll knock from now on."

Rachel closed her eyes against the mental imagery. _Oh God…._

* * *

"What about this one?" Quinn asked, pointing toward a dark, ornately decorated crib. Rachel scowled at it. "It looks like the baby's head could get caught between the slats and he could hang himself."

Quinn exhaled through her teeth. "Okay…scratch that one. How 'bout this one?" She pointed towards a white crib with a high back and scrolled sides. Again, Rachel grimaced.

"Okay…fine. What's wrong with that one?"

"It's very…girlish."

"I think it's cute."

"Nope…Noah made it very clear: 'Nothing that isn't befitting of the studly Puckerman stock.' I bring that home, he may have a fit. I can practically hear him say, 'So why don't we just go ahead and install a ballet bar while we're at it?'"

"Okay…so I'm not going to suggest anything. How 'bout we just walk around and look in silence because I really, truly don't want to strangle you." Quinn glared at Rachel, realizing that this shopping trip was going to be far more work than fun.

Rachel smiled, grabbing Quinn in a one-armed hug. "Thanks for coming with me. The furniture will be the hardest part." Quinn watched Rachel's face transform as she analyzed the last sentence. "Well, actually, the theme may be the hardest part, now that I think about it. Before I left this morning, Noah told me that a "Ninja Baby" nursery would be absolutely awesome because then he'd have a place to hang his nunchucks."

Quinn snorted as Rachel continued. "I think he wants to turn our baby into a biker dude before he's even born." Rachel shook her head as she thought about the nursery discussion she'd had with her husband before she left the house. She _attempted_ to suggest that a Winnie the Pooh nursery would be nice only to watch him come completely unhinged and say something exceptionally inappropriate about what Christopher Robin was really doing with those animals in the woods. After that was off the table, she suggested Disney Babies, only to be told that "Mickey Mouse can go fuck himself." Throwing her hands in the air, she'd told him that she'd surprise him.

"So what theme are _you_ going for?"

Rachel was pensive. "Well, right after our first ultrasound, Noah bought a cute stuffed rhino. I'm thinking about making a jungle theme…baby safari animals. It will still be "badass", per Noah's requirements, and cute, which is what I require…and since Winnie, and Disney, and Looney Tunes, and everything else I suggested was either "homo" or "lame", I'm think he'll find the safari animals theme will satisfy us both."

Quinn looked skeptical. "And if it doesn't?"

Rachel smiled slyly. "I'll _make_ him get over it."

* * *

An hour later, Rachel had not only found her dream crib (simple, dark wood, sturdy, safe, and wouldn't strangle the baby), she found the perfect safari animals quilt, curtains, hamper, lampshade, and other accessories for the crib. The animals were cartoonish and cute and were placed on a background in the color of oatmeal with hunter green accents. Closing her eyes, she could envision the bedroom next to theirs transformed into the nursery. She shivered with excitement. As the due date drew closer, she couldn't help but get more and more giddy about meeting her son. Once the nursery was together and ready, it would be _that much more_ close to finally happening.

$1400 later, the crib, dresser, changing table, bassinet, and safari animal accessories were purchased and scheduled to be delivered the next week. She was excited to get home, throw paint chips in Noah's direction and make him decide which color met his specifications to be both 'bitchin' and 'badass': "Warm Cocoon", "Custard Cream", "Sweet Corn", "Herbal Garden", or "Velvet Leaf." Then he would get to paint the room and put together furniture, officially putting him in "daddy" mode. As Rachel walked back into the house that afternoon, she couldn't help but sing to herself. Her father's games seemed to have ceased, they were settling into their new home, the due date was fast approaching, and she loved Noah more today than she had yesterday. Life was pretty damn good, if she did say so herself. And she hoped it stayed that way.

**

* * *

A/N: Paint color names came from Behr and are in either the oatmeal or hunter green families.**


	18. Rings

**A/N: My muse has abandoned me for this story. Just left…Probably on vacation or something. (OR it could be that potty-training a puppy is kicking my ass….I am literally so tired that I can't see straight!) Anyway, I'm annoyed because this point in the story requires a decent amount of fluff. There is still some more angst to come but fluff is necessary as Rachel and Puck progress towards the birth of their baby boy. I've been feeling so angsty lately that fluff makes me unhappy. But I'm sure I'll pull out of it!**

* * *

"Puck, this looks totally awesome," Finn mused, looking around the freshly painted nursery. A week and a half after Quinn and Rachel's shopping trip, Puck bribed Finn with pizza and beer to come over on a Thursday night and help him finish painting and put together the nursery furniture. After much discussion and only one minor argument, Puck and Rachel had finally settled on the exact shade of oatmeal and sage green that they wanted for the nursery (well, actually it was the colors Rachel wanted. There was no way in hell he'd agree to a color like "oatmeal" (how totally fucking gay) when he could have "ninja black". But then Rachel had told him it was either oatmeal or he didn't get laid for a week. They bought the gay-ass colors two hours later.)

Finn hammered a nail into the wall, working to get the curtain rods mounted, when Puck stuck his head out into the hallway, looked to make sure Rachel wasn't anywhere around, and closed the door.

"Hey man…can I borrow Quinn this Saturday?"

Finn turned toward Puck, his facial expression growing darker as he spoke. "Dude...what? You want to borrow my girlfriend?"

Puck watched, amused, as anger crossed Finn's face. "Not like _that_, you douchebag! I haven't tapped one of your girlfriends since high school. I want to go get wedding bands for Rachel and me because we don't have them and I think she'd really like to have one. I need Quinn's help picking them out."

Finn nodded his head, his shoulders relaxing. "Yeah, that's cool. I'll have her call you at work tomorrow and you can set up a time."

"Thanks…I want to surprise Rachel. I'm taking her out of town next weekend on a secret trip and I am going to give her the rings then."

Finn cocked his head, staring at his lifelong friend with an indiscernible look. It unnerved Puck, who said, "What, dude?"

Shrugging, Finn said, "I just never thought I would _ever_ see this side of you. You're just…totally different than you used to be. I mean, you're still pretty much a raging asshole – that will never change – but you like really, really, really love Rachel and I just never thought I would see that."

Puck leaned against the newly assembled crib, mulling over his friend's words. He had spent a lot of time lately thinking those very same things about himself. Finally, Puck just shrugged. "It happens. This isn't the life I imagined I'd have the night I met Rachel at that party, that's for damn sure. But would I take it back and change it?" Puck grinned at Finn. "Not a chance."

Finn smiled sheepishly and said, "I feel like we need to hug or something. That was a deep, profound moment of sharing in our very long friendship."

Puck walked over to Finn and punched him in the stomach. "Here's your hug, you big gay douche. Now let's get back to work. I want all the furniture assembled before you take your freakishly large ass back home. Rachel wants Baby Zelman's room ready and what _my _wife wants, she gets."

Finn shriveled up his nose in disgust. "You're naming the kid Zelman?"

"It's a pretty bitchin' name, isn't it? _And_ it's a good Hebrew name. Gives props to our Jewish heritage." Puck asked with a satisfied smirk. Zelman had been his favorite name for several days now.

"Dude…it's _horrible._ Rachel should kick you in the nuts for even suggesting it."

Puck just rolled his eyes. Finn wouldn't recognize a classy name if it snuck up and bit him on the dick. Hell, he was named after the body part _on a fish._ What the fuck did he know?

* * *

Saturday morning, Puck roped his mother into distracting Rachel into shopping for "last minute" items for the nursery so that he could meet Quinn at the jewelry store in the mall. After listening to his mother's advice about rings ("Get gold…She needs yellow gold. Gold will go nicely with her skin color"), he decided that he _really_ didn't like yellow gold. But other than that little tidbit, he didn't know shit about jewelry shopping.

Puck met Quinn in front of the Cinnabon and together, they made their way to the jewelry store.

As they walked, Quinn began asking all the prerequisite questions that, he supposed, must be required in order to shop for jewelry for a friend.

"What type of bands are you looking for? Something contemporary? Something with a design or maybe just a typical wedding band?"

Puck stopped walking and looked at Quinn quizzically. "I thought the band was just…you know…a band. I didn't realize that there were like…choices. I thought you were here to help me just pick out the color of gold and the thickness."

Quinn snorted, putting her hand on Puck's shoulder. "You poor, uncultured man. You definitely need my help."

A few minutes later, Puck silently thanked Finn for having a classy girlfriend because the two were standing before trays and trays of wedding bands and Puck's eyes were starting to cross. They all looked basically the same (round) but some had diamonds, some were two-tone, some were thick, some were thin, some had pattern designs worked into them, and some were just simply plain. It was friggin' overwhelming. Wide-eyed, Puck turned to Quinn and shrugged. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Quinn stared at the trays. "Do you see anything you like?"

Puck moved his eyes up and down the rows of bands, trying to settle on one that didn't either remind him of his crazy Uncle Bernie (two-tone interlocking brick design with inlaid stones...*gag*) or wasn't $3000. Finally, Puck pushed the tray of ornate bands away from him. "Put these back. They're all ugly," he said to the thin-lipped, now scowling woman behind the counter. Looking at the tray of yellow gold bands, he shoved those away too. "My mom likes those...so they're out."

"Puck, I'm seeing a trend here. You like white gold.... So how about these two bands?" Quinn pointed to a set of simple bands, one thinner and one thicker. He took the thicker of the two out of its holder and slid it onto his ring finger. Staring at the wedding band on his hand made his vision go blurry for a second. Yes, he knew he was married but a wedding band just screamed "I AM_ SO_ OFF THE MARKET!" A wedding band had a certain finality to it. Surprisingly, it didn't freak him the fuck out. It made him feel...content. Focusing on the band, he said, "Yeah...I think this is it...."

The scowling woman shifted into grinning mode as she began calculating her commission in her head. Before she could even get down the ring sizes, Puck spoke again. "I need to see your engagement rings, too."

Quinn turned her head toward him, her hair swishing behind her. "Engagement rings?"

Puck shrugged. "She didn't get one of those, either, you know. I want her to have both rings...."

Puck saw Quinn's eyes begin to fill with tears and he wanted to go climb under a rock. He could deal with a crying Rachel but Quinn? Seriously. She smiled up at him and said, "You, Noah Puckerman, are a big softie. I think it's adorable."

He smiled at her, saying, "Quinn, shut up," as he walked toward the case of engagement rings.

The woman began reaching for rings with diamonds on them the size of ice cubes. Puck shot his hand up to stop her. "Don't count on selling one of those, honey. I'm a blue-collar working man... "

Glowering, the woman moved her hand to the rings with smaller diamonds. Quinn snickered as the woman looked longingly at the large diamonds, imagining what her commission _could_ have been had her customer not been a cheap-o.

Once the trays were sitting in front of him, Puck's eyes gravitated to the engagement rings with white gold bands. Before Quinn could even suggest something, Puck said, "That one." Pointing at the ring, Quinn looked at it and then up at him, beaming. "You didn't even need my help, Puck. That ring is beautiful."

"That ring is _so_ Rachel," Puck said softly. The diamond, approximately ½ carat, was a princess-cut and set simply in white gold. "It's beautiful, clean, and shimmers in the light...the way she does. I wish I could afford something larger but...I hope she likes it."

Quinn felt herself tear up again. Putting her hand on his arm, she gushed, "She is going to love it. And you are so sweet, Puck. I wish I could tell Rachel about this...."

"Don't you dare! She needs to be surprised next weekend. We have a big weekend planned that she doesn't even know about. That she _won't_ know about ahead of time!" Puck was forceful with his words. His surprise trip for Rachel _had_ to be a total surprise. He was hoping for some happy tears and some _serious_ (maybe even raunchy) sex out of the deal.

Quinn sighed. "Okay, okay...I won't say a word. But once she's got these on her finger, I'm telling her what a romantic sucker you are."

Walking towards the cash register so his Visa bill could skyrocket, he said, "Fine, you can tell her all about it afterwards. But if you breathe a word of it before then, I'm telling Finn you kissed me."

Quinn balked. "You wouldn't dare!"

Puck winked at her. "Women can rarely resist me. He just might believe me."

Glaring at Puck, even though she knew he was just pushing her buttons, Quinn did the first thing that cam to her mind. She stomped on his foot and stormed out of the store to wait outside.

A few minutes later, Puck came strolling out, tucking his receipt into his wallet. He would be back early next week to pick up the rings, which still had to be sized. The longer the store had them, the less likely Rachel was to find them hidden in the lame-ass, unoriginal spot that he'd end up stashing them, like his sock drawer.

Puck offered to buy Quinn some lunch for helping him and she gladly accepted, her stomach rumbling loudly. Settling into the Chik-Fil-A, they munched on their waffle fries in contented silence. Quinn looked up, hesitantly meeting Puck's eyes, and said, "You know Finn pretty well, right?"

Puck nodded in the affirmative. "He's been my best friend my entire life. Know him better than I know almost anyone else. Why?"

Quinn sucked in a breath, contemplating her words. Opening her mouth, nothing came out, so she closed it. Trying again, she squeaked out, "Do you think he's the marrying type?"

Puck let out a belly laugh and rolled his eyes. "Quinn, if _I _am the marrying type, I can promise you that my stupid douchebag of a best friend is. He was born to be married….Do you want to marry him or something?"

Quinn stared down at her half-eaten sandwich. "I…I know we haven't been dating that long but I think I love him more than I've ever loved any other man. I…Well…I have thought about what it would be like to be married to him."

Puck said nothing, just swirled a crispy potato in some ketchup and shoved it in his mouth.

"Do…do you think he feels the same way about me?" Quinn added, her face crimson. She couldn't believe she was asking these questions of Finn's best friend. She was obviously in love. Nothing else would explain her ridiculous behavior.

Puck reached across the table and laid a comforting hand on Quinn's. "I _know_ he does. He's plain stupid over you. I'm surprised he hasn't burst into song when you walk into a room. The boy is whipped."

Quinn beamed, relaxing a little. "Good. I hope that, a few years from now, he and I are where you and Rachel are."

Puck grinned, sucking his Coke through the straw.

"Puck…can I ask for your discretion and _beg_ that you don't tell Finn about this conversation?"

"Sure thing, Quinn," Puck promised, even though he was _totally_ telling Finn about it later. He knew Finn would probably piss his pants and run out to the same jewelry store to buy his own engagement ring. And fuck, if he was married, his best friend should be too….

* * *

Back at home, Rachel was tired from shopping with Miriam. Actually, she was tired of listening to Miriam talk more than anything. Rachel never knew her own mother but she only imagined that she would be a yappy, bossy Jewish woman like Miriam. Had Rachel's mother lived, perhaps her father wouldn't be like he was today.

Sitting down at the table, Rachel fired up her Mac. Logging in to her Gmail account, she was surprised to see an email from the very person she had just been thinking about.

_Rachel,_

_While I may no longer have your phone number, I assume this email address is still in working order. I had really hoped to hear from you before now. I don't understand how you have let this…man…come between us. You and I have always had a decent relationship. I realize that I haven't always been overly emotional or have exhibited the same level of concern in the same way that other fathers may have but I have always, __always__ tried to give you a decent life - one where you could have everything that you wanted. Your silence the past few weeks have allowed me to realize that perhaps I should have listened to your concerns/wants more. Or perhaps I should have been more understanding of your feelings. I just hope you realize that I have worked very hard my entire life to ensure that the Berry legacy is untarnished and honorable. I apologize that my tactics may sometimes appear to be self-serving but I am only thinking of the greater good of our family – YOUR family._

_Please consider contacting me when you are ready. I would love to hear from you and hope we can get past this impasse._

_Daddy_

Rachel stared blankly at the screen, wondering if she should respond. Her mind switched gears and she began immediately questioning her father's motives. Was he sincere? Was this just another in his never ending series of games? Or did he really, actually miss her the way a father _should_ miss a daughter who wasn't speaking to him? Tears formed in her eyes when she thought about her father taking the time to reach out to her by emailing since it was his only link to her now that her phone number was changed and they had moved. Leaning back in the chair, Rachel thought back to her childhood. Her father was correct; he never had been one to show much emotion. He never praised Rachel for a job well done because it was naturally assumed and expected that she would excel at everything she did. When her efforts fell short of the desired mark, which was usually quite high, her father hadn't been one to chastise or judge her. His silence was simply enough to tell her that she had displeased him and had to do better. She knew, even though she hadn't been at the house during the Berry/Puckerman confrontation, that her father had to have been furious. But she also knew that _he _knew that Puck and Miriam were right and had the upper hand. Rachel leaned forward, propping her head up with her hand. It hurt her deeply that her father used her as a bargaining chip when trying to free himself from an association with Noah Puckerman – especially an association that he had created by forcing her into marriage. Her father hadn't planned on Rachel and Noah's desire to make their marriage a real one and maybe, hope against hope, he was realizing that there was more to life than just having control all the time?

Sucking in a breath, Rachel debated whether to email him back or simply ignore his message? She reached to close her laptop but her chest ached at the thought of simply ignoring him. She may not agree with his tactics but she did love him. He _was _her father, after all.

With a heavy sigh, Rachel hit "reply" and began to type.

_Daddy,_

_Thank you for emailing me. I will admit that I was quite surprised to hear from you. I understand your concerns and your desire to speak to me. But I hope you can understand when I say that I am not yet ready to see you. The things that you did to Noah – my husband – are inexcusable. I don't care what your motivation was; your actions were simply wrong. To bow to your wishes and visit you now would just be acknowledgement that I was fine with the way you chose to exhibit your displeasure with Noah and I'm __not__. _

_I know that I have never really stood up to you when you did things that I didn't agree with or approve of. But I'm a grown woman now with a child on the way and it's time I use the "Berry backbone" that you're always so proud of and tell you that I'm very disappointed in the way you have treated me. _

_Please give me more time. When I am ready to see you, I will contact you. _

_I, too, hope we can someday form a better relationship, especially because our son would benefit from a relationship with his grandfather in the future._

_Rachel_

With a heavy heart, Rachel his "send" before she could change her mind. It may have taken her 21 years but the argument she had with her father at graduation had started a chain reaction. Rachel Puckerman was _done_ taking crap from her father without saying a word. The Berrys took everything with grace and poise. The Puckermans fought back and even got a little bit scrappy. And Rachel? She was definitely a Puckerman now.


	19. Chicago

**A/N: Warning – This chapter is **_**so**_** fluffy that you should probably go buy some cotton candy to eat while reading it. Or perhaps frolic through a huge pile of cotton balls or big feather pillows while you dance and sing with Care Bears or maybe Elmo. I'm telling you – it's so damn fluffy that if you read it without puking, I'll mail you a cookie! Oh, and if you're a diabetic, you may need a shot of insulin after reading all this fluffiness. Don't say I didn't warn you. I hope you enjoy your trip to Flufftown……Right now, we are very far away from Angstville.....**

* * *

"Noah, where are we going?" Rachel asked for the 17th time in the 90 minutes they'd been driving. He ignored her question, continuing to pound out a phantom beat with his fingertips against the steering wheel. She sighed, realizing he wasn't going to slip her even the tiniest tidbit of information, and looked out the window at the darkening landscape. She read each green exit sign, trying to determine if they were going to get off on that exit. But instead, he just kept driving and soon, they were deep into the northern part of Indiana.

It was the Friday evening of Rachel's 29th week of pregnancy and they were on their way to Puck's planned secret weekend. Rachel had balked when Puck had told her Friday morning to pack two days-worth of clothes while he was at work. She demanded to know where they were going but he just grinned, kissed her, and headed out the door, leaving her full of questions but also excited about the unknown weekend ahead. When he arrived back from work, he grabbed his duffel bag, which he had packed on the sly the night before. Popping into their bedroom, he told her to grab a nice dress as he pulled his favorite suit out of the closet and took it out to the car. The idea of getting to dress up for – whatever he was planning – made her even giddier. Noah wasn't the most romantic person, she realized, but he could be when he wanted to be and it felt like this may be one of those times.

"Noah, I need to know where we're going so that I can make sure there is a hospital nearby…should I have a false labor pain or anything," Rachel tried weakly, knowing her pathetic attempt at discovering their destination wouldn't work even as the words were leaving her mouth.

Not turning towards her, Puck snickered. "Oh Rachel. That is _so low._ You're trying to play the "worried expectant father card," huh? Well don't you worry your hot little ass. There _will_ be a hospital close to our destination, not that you'll need it."

"Fine," Rachel huffed, crossing her arms like a spoiled child who wasn't getting her way, "don't tell me where you're taking me."

"Cool, babe, I won't."

Huffing again, Rachel tried to look the part of frustrated woman. Puck just grinned, obviously determined to hold onto his secret a little longer. Sighing, Rachel unwound her arms and settled into the seat for the ride. She was at his mercy, that much she knew.

The hum of the tires against the pavement, coupled with Noah's scent, eventually lulled Rachel to sleep. Waking up nearly two hours later, she was shocked to see that they were navigating the toll roads near Chicago. She pushed herself up in the seat, her eyes wide.

"We're going to Chicago? Why?"

Puck quickly glanced at her to smile before turning his focus back to the road. "Because it's there…and we need to be there, too."

She momentarily scowled at his cryptic answer before letting the happy grin return to her face. "I haven't been to Chicago in forever! This is great! So what are we going to do when we get there?"

Puck looked at the clock. "Tonight, babe, we're going to sleep. Tomorrow, we'll do other stuff…the stuff we came to do."

Rachel let out a little squeal. Chicago! She was so tired of being stuck in Lima, and other than New York City, Chicago was her favorite place to be. Shopping, museums, restaurants, theater…Ohhh! So much to do!

Rachel grinned broadly as they drove closer and the Chicago skyline came into view. "I don't know why you're taking me here, Noah Puckerman, but I love you for it!"

"You'll love me even more later, Rachel Puckerman, I promise," was all he said in response.

Rachel sat happily as the Chicago skyline became larger. Soon, they were navigating through the downtown streets and she watched in awe as Puck had serious road rage.

"It's Friday fucking night! Why are these douchebags not moving? This isn't rush hour, you cocksucker!" Puck slammed his hands against the steering wheel as the traffic in front of him stayed still for no apparent reason. Rachel just scowled at Puck as he descended into "sailor mode" and managed to invent new and colorfully descriptive swear words to describe their traffic predicament. When the cars in front of him finally started moving again, he shouted "Thank fuck!" Rachel just shook her head.

"Not very good with big city traffic, are you?" Rachel asked, suppressing her laughter.

Puck just shot her a glare and turned back to shoot daggers out his eyes at the fuckface in the car in front of him.

A few harrowing minutes later (after Puck nearly ran over a guy on a bicycle carrying a pizza. Who the _fuck_ carries a pizza on a bicycle, anyway? Fucking big city idiots, that's who!), he maneuvered his car into a parking garage on "The Magnificent Mile." Rachel heaved a sigh of relief because if he kept at it, she was pretty sure their child would be damaged in-utero and would probably come out swearing and shaking his tiny fist in anger.

As they unfolded themselves from the car, Rachel asked in a sweet, concerned voice, "Are you okay now, Noah?"

Pulling their bags from the trunk, he flashed her a lopsided grin. "I'm good, baby. A little road rage never hurt anyone."

Rachel snorted. "If that was "a little" road rage, can we make sure we don't drive _anywhere_ else while we're here. I'm afraid of you right now…."

Puck walked over to her, dropped a kiss on her lips, and then whispered into her ear, "You could help me ease this tension once we get checked in…. You know that swirly thing you do with your tongue? _That_ would fucking help…."

Rachel pulled back and smacked him, blushing all the while. She tingled from her head from her red-tipped toenails. _This was going to be a fantastic weekend._

* * *

"Noah, look at this view!" Rachel was standing in front of their hotel room window, looking at the view from their 28th–floor vantage point. Chicago sparkled all around them in the darkness. She could even see the moonlight bouncing off the undulating waters of Lake Michigan.

Puck sat on the bed, removing his shoes and socks, watching his wife rave over their view. He loved seeing her so happy…and couldn't wait to see how happy she'd be later on this weekend. Reaching into his pants pocket, he slyly removed the ring boxes and deftly slid them into his duffel bag. Tomorrow, she would get her rings.

Puck stood, yanked his shirt over his head, and slid his pants to the floor. Padding over to her on the thick, luxurious carpet, he wrapped his arms around her ever-expanding waist and joined her as they silently stared out at the amazing view.

"I don't know why we're here, but thank you," she said quietly, her hands sliding over his interlocking arms.

"We're here because it never hurts to get away every once in a while…and you're welcome," he said softly, nuzzling her neck and placing a kiss below her ear in that exact spot that always causes a little "ohhh" to escape her lips.

Tugging her against him, he said, "Let's go to bed, baby."

The seductiveness in his voice sent a shiver across her shoulders, raising goose bumps along her arms. Nodding, Rachel turned into his arms and allowed herself to be led to the bed. Sleep would settle over them a while little later, their bodies sated and intertwined in the darkened room as they stared out through the open curtains at the shimmering Chicago night.

* * *

Puck woke up early the next morning out of habit. They didn't have any plans that were set in stone until this evening so the majority of the day was theirs. He thought about waking Rachel up so they could start their day but she looked so peaceful cuddled under the comforter that he slid back beneath the covers instead. Scooting close to her, he molded his body to hers and willed himself back to sleep for a few more hours.

They woke up at 10am and decided to get moving because they were wasting their day. After showering together, they went to the hotel restaurant for some brunch before heading out into the busy streets of Chicago for some shopping and sight seeing. They had no real destination in mind and had nowhere in particular to be for hours yet.

Catching public transportation, they ended up at Shedd Aquarium, where Rachel oohed and awed over the baby dolphins until Puck felt like he was going to vomit. When he muttered, "it's just a fucking fish," he was berated for five minutes about how dolphins were mammals and highly intelligent and _blah blah blah_. He had stopped listening once the word "mammal" slipped from her lips and instead just watched her breasts bounce as she spoke passionately about the plight of the dolphin. Once she noticed his gaze was heavily fixed on her breasts, she growled, stomped her foot, and stormed away. Laughing, he caught up with her, apologized, and told her that dolphins were the best things ever. Then he kissed her senseless in the middle of the aquarium, which seemed to do the trick because by the time he pulled away, she was no longer in the mood to argue.

After the aquarium, they headed back into the heart of the city for some shopping and some lunch. As the evening drew closer, Puck glanced at his watch and sighed loudly for dramatic effect.

"Baby, we may have a late night tonight. Wanna go take a nap before we have to go out again? You look really tired." He made the mistake of wagging his eyebrows at her.

"Noah, if you want to go back to the hotel and have sex, just tell me," she sighed, exasperated at his lame attempt to get her back into their hotel room and naked.

"Okay, fine. Rachel, I would like to go back to the hotel and have a little daytime fuck."

Rolling her eyes, she stood up and pushed back her chair. "You are a crude, crass pig, Noah." She snagged her purse from its spot on the floor and strode to the door. "You coming? I bought new lacy panties I could show you," she asked as she turned back around, giving him a sexy grin. Puck smirked, tossed some bills down on the table, and followed her out into the daylight. So far, he fucking _loved_ Chicago (except for those damn fish and those pizza-loving motherfuckers on bicycles.)

* * *

Early evening found them tired but happy from their little afternoon bedroom diversion. At 5pm, they were dressed up in their dressy outfits and were being seated at a restaurant five blocks from their hotel. Rachel studied the menu, finally settling on grilled chicken. Puck went for the steak, of course, and chose to ignore the insane price (he could get three steaks in Lima for that price). They sat eating their salads, enjoying the soft music from the violin quartet that was playing in the corner. Puck shifted nervously several times and it did not escape Rachel's gaze.

"Are you okay?" she asked him before taking a sip from her water goblet.

He looked up at her, his eyes dark. "Yeah…fine…Superb…"

Rachel scoffed. "I know you're lying. You don't use words like 'supberb'."

"Are you questioning my intelligence?"

She smiled, her eyes full of affection. "No, you big goof. I just know your vocabulary and you prefer words of the four-letter variety."

He shrugged, saying nothing. Instead, he tapped his foot quickly against the floor. Timing this shit was hard....

Not long after their food was delivered to the table, Puck decided that it was time.

He cleared his throat, took a drink from his wine glass, and began speaking. "Rach…I know that you and I didn't have an "engagement" and you sure didn't get a proposal. " Puck's voice cracked with nervousness as he spoke. "And while we can't go back in time and make all this real from the very beginning, we can make sure it is going forward." Puck pushed his chair back and walked over to Rachel's side of the table. Dropping to one knee, he pulled the box from his pocket. Rachel's hand flew to her mouth in shock.

As he fumbled to open the box, Puck realized he was shaking. _Get your shit together, Puckerman! She's already your wife!_

Opening the box, he presented it to her. "Rachel Berry Puckerman…I know I can't ask you to marry me because you've already done that….But it's for real now….So will you _continue _to be married to me?"

Rachel stared at the diamond ring in the box and then pulled her gaze up her obviously–nervous husband's handsome face. She heard the silence in the restaurant as curious onlookers stared at the pair curiously, taking in the words he spoke as well as her pregnant frame. But she didn't care. Hand shaking and with tears springing up in the corner of her eyes, she nodded.

"Yes, Noah, I promise to continue to be married to you." Puck blew out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding and then admonished himself. It wasn't like he was _really_ proposing. They were married already! But…doing something _that_ romantic made him feel exposed and vulnerable.

Removing the ring from the box, he slipped it on the same finger he would slide the wedding band on later. He pulled her to him and kissed her amidst claps and a few whistles before pulling away. Pressing his forehead to hers, he whispered, "I love you so much." He then stood up, re-took his seat, and returned to his meal.

The patrons turned away then, realizing the show was over. Rachel just sat there, a broad grin on her face, as she moved her hand to cause the ring to sparkle in the light.

"I love it, Noah. Thank you," she said quietly.

He just smiled, reached across the table to steal her uneaten yeast roll, and relaxed in his seat. _Dammit, I'm good._

* * *

After dinner (which the restaurant discounted as a "congratulations on your engagement" present), Puck and Rachel meandered down the street. They were nearly at their hotel when Puck turned a corner, dragging Rachel behind him.

"Noah, were are we going? Our hotel is over there."

"We're not going to the hotel, babe. We've got somewhere else to be and only 15 minutes left to get there."

He picked up his pace, gripping her hand tightly, and she followed along. As he slowed at their destination, she stopped short, her hand flying to her mouth again.

They were standing in front of a theater and "Wicked" was advertised on the kiosk.

Her mouth fell open, tears swimming in her eyes again. "You're taking me to see 'Wicked'?"

Puck nodded. "You love it, don't you?"

It was her turn to nod. "But how did you know?"

"You're always listening to the soundtrack. In fact, I think I know the words almost as well as you do now. I figured you'd like to see it."

She threw her arms around his neck and dropped a kiss on his cheek. "You're too good to me, Noah."

He put his hands on her waist and pulled her back so he could look into her eyes. "I only give what I get, babe."

Rachel turned, did some elaborate little happy dance that caused Puck to laugh out loud, and then they walked up to the entrance where he pulled out the tickets.

Soon, they were seated (15th row, center) and the lights went down. Not one for _any _type of musical, Puck found himself enthralled by the characters, the costumes, and hearing the music live. He kept shooting sideways glances at Rachel, who gripped his hand tightly the whole time, even as she grinned so broadly that he was afraid her eyes were going to pop out of her beautiful head. At the end, as Elphaba and Glinda said their goodbyes for the last time, Puck shot his eyes towards the ceiling to fight the weird burning in his eyes (stupid Chicago wind had been blowing junk in his eyes all damn day.) As the show came to an end, Rachel jumped up from her seat and clapped loudly before letting out the shrillest, loudest whistle he had ever heard. He stared at her wide-eyed as she jumped up and down, clapping wildly. He felt a pang of guilt because she should be_ UP _on that stage performing, not down in the crowd clapping. But she didn't look sad at all, he noticed. She looked like she was glowing with joy. So maybe he needed to shake the guilt. He knew that tonight, she wasn't focused on lost dreams. She was focused on him…on them.

After they left the theater, Puck snagged a cab and headed back to their hotel. Rachel was physically exhausted from the entire day by the time they made it back to their room. Once inside, Puck didn't even bother to flip on the lights. Rachel opened the curtains, letting the city lights of Chicago filter in to the room again, and began undressing in the moonlight.

Puck sat on the bed, fully clothed, and watched her silently slide her dress down her hips and gently drape it over the back of the chair. His mouth watered as she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Tossing it to the floor, she shimmied out of her red lace panties with a smile. Trying to look as seductive as she could with a pregnant belly, she crawled across the bed and settled under the blankets.

Puck quickly shed his own clothing, his heart racing. _It's time for part two, dude,_ he told himself. In the quiet darkness of the room, Puck reached into his duffel bag and pulled the rings out. Rachel was lying on the bed, staring out the open window, and didn't see him. Slowly, he crawled up the bed until he was next to her.

"Rach," he whispered.

She swiveled his head to look at him.

"There's still one more thing I need to give you."

Rachel said nothing, just stared at him expectantly, a small smile playing across her lips.

Reaching down beside him, he pulled out the smaller of the two wedding bands and held it up so that she could see it in the barely-lit room. Her brown eyes went wide with shock as she stared at the wedding band. He reached for her hand, pulling it up to his lips. He dropped a kiss along the top and then flipped it over, kissing the pads of each of her fingers. Flipping her hand back over, he positioned the ring at the end of her finger. Sliding it on, he whispered, "With this ring, I thee wed…again."

Rachel let out a little sob of happiness, tears running down her cheeks at his tender effort. He leaned forward, claiming her lips in an intense kiss, before reaching down and holding his ring up for her to see. She took it from him and then took his hand in hers. She repeated his actions and kissed his hand gently. Taking the ring, she slid it on his finger and said, "With this ring, _I_ thee wed…To have and to hold from this day forth…"

Puck smiled, actually letting himself tear up for once without feeling like a massive homo. He loved this woman. He _loved_ this woman….

Rachel took Puck's hand in hers, linking their fingers, before pushing herself up from her position on the bed and straddling his lap. Face to face, she dropped kisses gently along his jaw line before melting into his embrace and to simply sit there, pressed close to him with his arms around her.

"Did I do good?" he whispered into her strawberry-scented hair.

"You did great," she said honestly, her voice tinged with the emotions coursing through her petite body. The things he made her feel. She'd never really known what love was like but _this_? _This was love…._

He tightened his grip on her and pulled her with him as he reclined on the bed. Sliding his hand down her naked body, he rested it on her belly, hoping to feel their son kick. A few minutes passed and then his hand was greeted with a strong kick.

"I think Gideon approves, too."

"Gideon? That's a new one," Rachel giggled, placing her hand on top of his.

"Gideon screams "badass" I think," Puck offered.

Rachel snorted into the darkness, keeping her opinion to herself for the moment.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both looking at their newly-minted ring fingers and feeling their son kick.

"Noah?" Rachel finally whispered.

"Yeah, Mrs. Puckerman?"

His use of her "official" name caught her off guard and she smiled as chills raced across her body. He was making her giddy tonight! Refocusing on her original question, she spoke. "Why do you continue to insist on suggesting such horrible names?"

Puck just laughed, unwilling to discuss baby names right now. Instead, he bent his head and latched his lips onto her exposed nipple, tugging gently with his teeth until she responded with a groan. They would talk baby names back in Lima. _Now _was the time for not speaking at all.

**

* * *

A/N: Now you all have cavities!!!**


	20. Matchmaker

**A/N: So this was delayed and I can't blame it on the new puppy. Instead, blame it on the smutty Puckleberry story I wrote and posted over at my LJ blog (Camping, Rachel's ruined tent, time alone with Puck, Rachel/Puck sex in a tent)… THAT put me very behind on THIS. Sorry….but I was feeling the urge to get the smut out before I headed back over to Flufftown. And by the way, angst is on the way. It won't be fluffy for the entire rest of this story, I promise.**

* * *

"Soooo?" Finn asked Puck, elbowing him in the side with raised eyebrows and a questioning look gracing his boyishly handsome face. It was Monday morning and both men were back at work. Puck and Rachel had returned from their blissful weekend in Chicago the previous evening and Finn couldn't help but notice Puck had extra swagger in his normally-cocky step that morning.

Puck feigned innocence. "What, dude?"

"How was your weekend?" Finn was clearly annoyed at Puck for playing coy.

Puck grinned, thinking back to his weekend of sex, romance, shopping, sex, good food, sight-seeing, and sex. "Amazing, man. Fucking amazing..."

"So I take it she liked the rings?"

_Hell yeah she like the rings_. _She_ fucked _him_ senseless after she got her wedding band. Who knew a ring was an aphrodisiac?

"She loved the rings. I need to thank Quinn for helping me pick them out." As he spoke Quinn's name, he thought about the conversation they had shared on Saturday over their fresh-cut waffle fries.

"Speaking of Quinn...how serious are you two these days, anyway?"

Finn looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "I love her, man."

Puck, who was feeling a little too full of love after the trip to Chicago, wanted to approach the subject carefully since Quinn didn't want him mentioning it at all.

"Have...have you thought about marrying her?"

Finn sighed. "Honestly? Every damn day since our third date." Finn's brow suddenly furrowed, a worried look crossing his face. "What? Did she say something when you went shopping? Does she think I'm moving so fast...Shit, am I moving so fast? I knew I shouldn't have told her how I felt so soon. I'm probably pushing her away. Fuck…I don't want to lose her. How should I fix this? Dammit, I'm always moving too fast!" Finn jammed his hands through his slightly unkempt hair in frustration, his forehead creasing under the intensity of his worry.

Puck smiled. Finn was playing right into his very capable hands.

"Calm the fuck down, dude. You're not moving too fast. In fact, you may not be moving fast enough!"

Finn's face showed his puzzlement. "Why ya say that?"

"Let's just say that she would probably be open to _whatever_ direction you wanted to head, as long as it moved towards a deeper commitment." Puck leaned against the car they were working on, shoving his hands down into his pockets and crossed his feet.

"So…I mean…I know we haven't dated for very long but you think she'd…you think she wants more?" Finn looked hopeful.

Slapping Finn on the back, Puck said, "Yeah…time to put the feelers out dude. And personally, if I can end up getting married, there is no way you're safe."

Finn's eyes bulged. "She wants me to propose, doesn't she? Oh my God...she wants to get married. I just...I don't know what... Wow... I mean, I want to marry her but it may be too soon and what if things don't work out and...oh God...."

Puck smirked at his friend, swiveled on his heel, and walked out of the room, leaving Finn babbling to himself.

* * *

Puck felt great for playing matchmaker. At lunch, he dialed Rachel's number. When she answered, he said, "Hey babe…what do you think about inviting Finn and Quinn over for dinner tonight?"

"That would be great! I'll run to the store and get what we need."

"Sweet, Rach. Love ya."

Flicking his phone closed, he went into the break room and invited Finn to dinner. Finn sent Quinn a text message (because he was still too nervous to call her after the conversation with Puck) and Quinn confirmed that she would be there.

Puck leaned back in his chair, smiling as he polished off his chicken sandwich. Finn was going to act like a total moron tonight, he knew. _Should be fun...._

* * *

Rachel was halfway down the produce aisle of the grocery store, humming softly to herself as she tried to decide on the potatoes when she heard her name.

"Rachel? Rachel Berry?"

Turning toward the voice, Rachel came face to face with Jocelyn Shepherd, the daughter of one of her father's most stuffy, uptight friends. Rachel would have loved to have simply rolled her eyes and kept walking but decades of propriety training held her where she stood.

Forcing a false smile, Rachel oozed. "Hello, Jocelyn, how are you?"

Jocelyn took in Rachel's pregnant belly. Trailing her eyes from her stomach to Rachel's eyes, she said, "It appears I'm doing better than you."

Rachel's false smile turned into a very real glare. Placing her hand protectively on her belly, she gritted, "I'm doing fabulous, thank you very much."

Jocelyn just stared at her. "I didn't realize you were pregnant."

"I didn't take out an ad in the Sunday society page, no…" Rachel replied coolly.

"Who…who's the father?" Jocelyn said with a an inquisitive look that bordered on a sneer (in Rachel's opinion).

Pulling her left hand from behind her body so that her rings could be seen (and saying a silent "thank God" that Noah had just given her the rings), Rachel said, "The father would be my husband, actually."

Jocelyn spit out a laugh. Rachel was married? Where the hell has she been to have missed such gossip? She never did care for Rachel Berry very much. Jocelyn had always felt she was too straight-laced and never really liked to have much fun. "So who's the lucky guy?"

"His name is Noah. Noah Puckerman."

Jocelyn bit her upper lip, thinking for a moment. "I don't recognize his name. Does he belong to the country club?"

Rachel chortled, trying to imagine Noah in a polo shirt and Dockers, discussing the stock market and perhaps engaging in a game of polo with the well-to-do crowd she had associated with for many years. "No, he most certainly doesn't have anything to do with that stuffy club of yuppies," Rachel muttered.

Jocelyn gave Rachel a knowing look. "It seems that you've married yourself a...working man...then?"

Rachel placed a hand on her hip. "Yes, he works...everyday in fact. And sometimes on the weekends. He doesn't have a trust fund."

Cocking her head, the brunette said, "So...I take it this pregnancy was accidental? There is _no way_ your father would allow you to associate with...the lower class...otherwise."

Rachel's nostrils flared. _Bitch._ Throwing her propriety out of the window, she gave Jocelyn a sweet smile. "Yes, the pregnancy was unplanned. However, _our _baby is very much wanted, unlike the...how many was it? Oh yes, the three you aborted." Smiling as the color drained from Jocelyn's face, Rachel took her turn to sneer. "Just because you think your secrets are hush-hush doesn't mean they are. Your father loves to blab once he gets a little bourbon in him. I happened to be in the room when he told my father about his...ohh...what was the word he used?" Rachel crossed her arm across her chest, using her other hand to tap her lips in thought. "Oh, that's right..his _whorish disappointment_ of a daughter. That's the proper phrasing that he used."

Jocelyn sneered. "I see you're still a bitch, Rachel."

Rachel laughed. "No, Jocelyn, I'm actually a very nice person. But I won't let you sit in judgment about my "poor" husband when baby daddy #2 for you was the gardener who has since been deported...." Flashing a brilliant smile, Rachel said, "Have a great day, Joycey..." Then she pushed her cart forward, grabbed a few ears of corn, and handed for the dairy aisle.

Standing up for herself was an exhilarating filling. She had spent entirely too much of her life letting people walk on her or disappoint her. Telling that country-club harlot off felt _awesome_. In fact, she felt a little...badass. Actually, she felt like a Puckerman.

* * *

When Puck arrived home with Finn in tow, Rachel and Quinn were giggling in the kitchen as they finished up dinner. Walking in the door, Rachel caught Finn stare at Quinn oddly before he blushed.

Quinn stepped out from behind the counter and wrapped her arms around Finn, who stood there stiffly with his eyes wide. Realizing that he wasn't hugging her back, she looked up at his face and said, "Are you okay, Finn?"

Finn looked down at her and then over at Puck. Looking back at Quinn again, he said, "I'm fine...fine... Just...fine. How are you today? Anything going on? Any concerns or worries or wishes I should know about?"

Puck walked into the kitchen, snickering all the while, to envelope Rachel in his arms for a heavy kiss. Pulling away, he whispered in her ear, "I kinda leaked to Finn that Quinn would like a more serious commitment and had mentioned maybe even marrying him. He's a little freaked out. Dinner should be fun..."

Rachel turned and smacked Puck on the arm. "I can't believe you did that to him! Quinn told you not to say anything!"

Puck just shrugged, whispered "oops," and pulled a beer for him and Finn out of the fridge.

"Noah," Rachel raged in a loud whisper, "you are sometimes a real asshole!"

As he walked out of the kitchen and back towards Finn, he kissed the top of her head and said, "yeah baby, but I'm _your _asshole."

Rachel rolled her eyes and walked to the stove to check the progress of dinner. Sighing, she couldn't help but think that Noah was very lucky he didn't get stabbed with the meat fork tonight. Meddling in other people's love lives...seriously? Even if it was his best friend....

Twenty minutes after the men arrived home, Rachel and Quinn finished dinner and set the beef roast, vegetables, corn-on-the-cob, dinner rolls, and side salads out on the table. Finn and Quinn sat down next to each other and Quinn kissed him on the cheek, which caused Finn to jump.

"Seriously, Finn," Quinn groaned, "what is wrong with you tonight?"

"Wrong? Nothing is wrong," Finn mumbled as he scooped a huge spoon full of potatoes and carrots onto his plate.

Quinn watched him out of the corner of her eye, glowering as he shoveled food into his large mouth.

Rachel, wanting to pull the attention away from poor nervous Finn, said, "So I ran into my arch rival today."

"Who is that?" Quinn questioned, always interested in drama.

She sighed. "Her name is Jocelyn Shepherd and she is an awful, awful human being. If she has a heart, it's shriveled and hasn't beaten in years."

Puck sputtered into his beer bottle. "Rachel! I have never heard you talk bad about anyone!"

Rachel smiled. "You've never met this girl. Anyway, she was shocked to see that I was pregnant and even more shocked that I married myself a 'working man'."

Puck grinned. "Did you tell her your working man is hot as shit?"

Quinn laughed and Rachel smiled. "No. I did tell her your name though. I assumed your reputation preceded you but apparently not."

"I didn't usually fuck with the rich girls...except you."

Rachel rolled her eyes again. She knew she was destined for a headache with all her eye-rolling tonight. "Anyway, Jocelyn started to put me down because of my apparent unplanned pregnancy and then I reminded her of her three abortions.... I want to just say that it feels _really_ good to fight back!"

Puck reached over and motioned for her to give him a high-five. After stealing a kiss, Puck said, "See, babe…you're figuring it out. Puckerman's don't take no shit… And you, as a Puckerman, need to make sure your life is as shit-free as possible." Adding more salad dressing so that his romaine lettuce was practically floating, Puck said, "Marrying me was a great thing for you…I can tell. Speaking of marriage…." Puck looked over at Finn, whose head shot up at the mention of the "M" word.

"Marriage? Who said anything about marriage. I mean, I didn't mention marriage. Quinn, did you say something about marriage? I just…." Finn's voice trailed off, his face reddening again. Puck snorted into his lettuce. Quinn sat back in her chair, watching Finn try to fork a carrot unsuccessfully because his hands were shaking. Quinn's mouth popped open and then closed again without any sound coming out. Turning, she glared at Puck, who felt her gaze and immediately stared at the ceiling like he was inside the Sistine Chapel.

"Puck, my friend," Quinn said, through gritted teeth. "Did you happen to mention our conversation from last week to Finn?"

"Uh…which conversation was that again?" Puck asked, trying to evade Quinn's punishing glare.

"The conversation we had at Chik-Fil-A….after I took time out of my day to be a good friend to you and then you promised me that you would not repeat anything to any certain people…"

Finn and Rachel's heads bobbed from Quinn to Puck during the exchange.

"Oh! _That_ conversation? It may have slipped…"

Quinn exhaled audibly. Glancing over at Rachel, she said, "I hate your husband, you know that, right?"

Rachel smiled, amused but feeling bad for poor, embarrassed Finn. "It's okay, Quinn. I kinda hate him right now, too."

Puck looked between the two women innocently, flashing a white-toothed grin that accentuated his sculpted cheekbones and usually made Rachel want to rip his clothes off (when she wasn't contemplating stabbing him with the meat fork for being a jerk.)

Finn cleared his throat and suddenly had six eyeballs staring at him. Taking Quinn's hand, he said, "Quinn, if you want to marry me…all you have to do is ask."

Quinn jerked her hand from Finn's. Dropping her her head in her hands, she muttered "Oh my God…this is so humiliating." She raised her head and said, "Finn, I'm sorry your idiot best friend flapped his jaws. I merely stated that I am very happy with you and I see the potential for us in the future. No one is expecting a proposal."

Finn stared at Quinn, his mouth gaping. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he leaned back. "Thank God…Not that I don't want to marry you or anything because I really love you and all but you know we've only been dating for a little while and I don't want to rush anything because you're really awesome and we need to spend as much time together as possible…." Quinn placed her fingers of Finn's lips, shushing him.

"It's okay, honey. You can stop talking now."

Finn bobbed his head in acknowledgment. Puck stretched, shot Rachel a big smile, and plopped another huge piece of roast on his plate. "Now that _that's all over…._"

* * *

"What do you mean you're withholding sex?" Puck yelled with a smile, knowing full well that Rachel could talk a lot of smack but she was truly helpless against the Puckerman charm.

Rachel slid her pants off her legs and pulled her shirt over her head. "You embarrassed our friends tonight and I am still really annoyed at you."

Puck sighed, yanked his own shirt over his head, and then shot Rachel a pathetic, remorseful look . "I didn't mean to embarrass them."

Rachel looked at him incredulously.

"Wait, okay…yeah I did…But baby, I only did it because I want them to be as happy as we are…."

Puck sidled over to Rachel, his hand sliding across her distended belly and up her body to cup her breast. Rachel glared at him and pushed it away.

Puck put on a hurt face and dropped his voice, "C'mon baby...you're going to hold back your lovin' when all I was trying to do was trying to do was get those two crazy kids together for good?"

Rachel groaned as Puck's hand slid around and cupped her ass. "You could have caused them to break up for good!"

"Nah, babe...never. I know Finn too well."

Just then, Rachel heard her BlackBerry buzz over on the dresser. Waddling over, she picked it up and read the text message. Smiling, she handed it to Puck who read it and then burst out laughing.

The message was from Quinn and it read: _Finn proposed! We're getting married!_

Puck yanked Rachel into his arms. Nuzzling her neck, he said, "See baby...I told ya.... You still withhold that hot body from me?"

Rachel stepped up on her toes and kissed him on the lips. "You win...."


	21. Baby Shower

**A/N: So Rachel needed a baby shower but I freakin' HATE baby showers. I go to them out of respect but if I ever actually do get pregnant, I'm going to try to find a way around one while still managing to get all the loot!**

* * *

A few weeks after the surprise, partially-Puckerman-induced engagement of Finn and Quinn, Rachel was relaxing in front of the television on a Saturday morning. At 33 weeks pregnant, her belly was expanding fast and she found the idea of going out less and less appealing. Flipping through the channels, she rolled her eyes at Paula Dean as she flipped past The Food Network and came to a stop on TCM. Discovering that _Meet Me in St. Louis_ was on, she soon found herself enthralled, despite the fact that she had seen the movie dozens of times. Puck had come downstairs and attempted to grab the remote, only to be shot a withering look that forced him outside to find other avenues of entertainment. Glaring at Rachel as he pushed himself up from the couch and padded to the door, he decided that they needed a second television so he wouldn't have to share with his moody wife.

Standing on his front lawn, Puck heard a few car doors slam and glanced toward his mother's house only to see Quinn ducking inside carrying about two dozen shiny blue balloons. _What the hell?_ Next, Miriam ran outside and pulled a huge bakery box from Quinn's trunk. _Seriously, what's going on?_ Miriam waved at Puck and motioned for him to come over.

Jogging over to her, he stared curiously into Quinn's car, which was packed with presents, decorations, and other blue-colored items.

"What's up?" Puck asked, propping himself against Quinn's car.

"We're having a surprise baby shower for Rachel in two hours so you _have_ to keep her at home," Miriam confided breathlessly, her eyes darting into Quinn's car.

Puck snorted. "That won't be a problem. She's in there watching some stupid Judy Garland movie that makes me want to light myself on fire. She's not going anywhere!"

Miriam looked relieved. "Well, Beth is going to come get her in a little while so if she tries to leave, distract her and keep her entertained."

Puck's lips curled into a leering grin. "Oh, don't worry, Mom. I can keep her entertained. And I _definitely_ know how to distract her, I promise."

Miriam, obviously catching on to her son's perversion, smacked Puck in the arm with an accompanying hateful glare. "She is a pregnant woman and you are a dirty, dirty man."

Puck shrugged, knowing it would be pointless to defend himself. "S'ok. Rachel likes me dirty….Bye, Mom!"

"Don't you tell her anything, Noah!" She called to his back.

He flipped his hand up in response, heading back the way he came.

Back inside, he flopped down on the couch and dropped his arm across Rachel's shoulders. Glancing at the TV, he rolled his eyes. Judy and her goofy-ass looking friends were singing on a trolley. He watched for a few minutes, his eyes wide at the sheer stupidity of the scene before him.

"Babe, I know you love this, but this shit is terrible," he said, a little louder than she liked because she shushed him, never looking away from the screen.

"Seriously, Rach, what is it with chicks and musicals?"

"Shhhhhhh…" Rachel said.

Puck rolled his eyes, kicked his shoes off so he could prop his feet up on the coffee table and leaned his head back. If she was that enthralled in Judy and her stupid hairdo, he was going to take a damn nap.

* * *

A little while later, there was a quick knock on the door before it opened and Beth let herself in. Rachel looked up from the TV and over at Beth. 'Hey, there," Beth said in a loud whisper, trying to keep her voice down because she could hear her brother snoring on the other side of Rachel.

"Hi, Beth. How are you?"

"I'm great....Uhh...Mom sent me down and wanted to know if you could come see her right away. She has something she would like to show you."

Rachel glanced over at Puck, whose snores were getting louder by the minute. Leaning towards his ear, she whispered, "Baby, I'm going to your mom's house for a while."

Puck grunted, "okay have fun," before emitting another loud snore. Gently lifting his arm from her shoulders, she kissed him on the forehead, slipped on her shoes, and followed Beth out the door and down the street.

As they got closer to Miriam's house, Rachel cocked her head curiously. She recognized both Quinn and Mercedes' cars parked on the street near the house. _What is going on?_

Beth rapped on the door and then pushed it open. There was a chorus of "shhhhs" as Rachel stepped inside and then a room full of women yelled, "Surprise!"

Looking around Miriam's living room, Rachel felt the burning in her eyes of her nearly ever-present tears. A huge banner reading, "It's a boy!" hung above the dining room door and she could see that the table was holding a large cake. Presents were stacked on a smaller table in one corner of the living room, blue balloons were everywhere, and many faces, the majority of which Rachel had never before seen, were staring at her from their various vantage points in the room.

Miriam stepped up to Rachel, taking her hand and placing an arm around her back, pulling her closer.

Speaking to the room, she said, "For those of you in our family that haven't met her yet, this is Noah's wife, Rachel."

Nearly a dozen women stood up and made their way towards Rachel. One by one, they introduced themselves and when they were through, Rachel was trying to remember the names of four of Miriam's sisters and seven of her nieces. Rachel felt a bit overwhelmed at the number of Noah's family now staring at her.

With a quick hug to Mercedes and Quinn, Rachel walked over to where Beth was standing and said, "You're going to have to help me remember all of your aunts' names."

Beth gave a very Puck-like snort and said, "That shouldn't be that hard. The aunt with the reddish, turnip-looking hair? That's Aunt Debbie. Her daughters are the three standing over by the table..." Rachel glanced that way but before she could really register which ones they were, Beth continued, "Yes, the three ladies with the massively huge noses. Those are Debbie's daughters. The two ugliest are twins – Deena and Dina. Their sister, the one with a _slightly_ smaller nose? That's Darra."

Rachel giggled quietly at her young sister-in-law's assessment of her family. Turning her head toward Miriam, Beth elbowed Rachel and continued. "The lady talking to my mom right now? That's Aunt Nora. She doesn't have any kids....Well, she has 14 cats that she calls her kids but no human kids. She lives in Cleveland and needs to stay there as far as I'm concerned."

Rachel snickered.

"The one with the big butt in the leopard-print skirt? That's Aunt Tammy. Her two daughters, Becca and Mary Ann, are over on the loveseat."

Rachel glanced their way, noticing how much they looked like their mother.

"And finally we have Aunt Iris, who is in the middle of boring Quinn to tears. Her two daughters, Leah and Alissa, are probably hovering over the food table because they're pigs."

Rachel dissolved into laughter. "So, how do you _really_ feel about these people, Beth?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "You gotta love your family, right? My mom's family just all happens to be a bunch of freaky freaks. Mom is the most normal one of them all, God help us."

Just then, Quinn called everyone's attention toward her and stood up.

"Rachel, I know that you and I are recent friends but I really wanted to make sure you had a baby shower. So I spoke to Miriam and we planned this. After all, it was your difficult husband that helped push Finn into proposing and I wanted to return the favor! Anyway," Quinn looked around at the room, "let's start the stupid games!"

For the next 45 minutes, Rachel was forced to play a multitude of baby shower games. Had it not been her own baby shower, she would have excused herself and hid in the bathroom. But watching Puck's family do pretty much anything turned out to be extremely entertaining and made even the most moronic baby shower game worth it.

During "Baby Bingo," Debbie and Nora got into a screaming match over who had called "Bingo" first. After Debbie called Nora a "psycho spinster" and Nora told Debbie that her hair looked like Barney the dinosaur's pubic hair, Miriam jumped in to break it up. Tammy, in all her animal-printed glory, then told her baby sister Miriam to mind her own business because Nora was clearly wrong. Iris, who was the oldest and usually tried to maintain order, told Tammy to shut her pie hole and respect her baby sister since they were all guests in her house. Before long, all five sisters were standing nose-to-nose, screaming and shaking their fingers in each other's faces. Rachel, Beth, Mercedes, and Quinn all sat on the couch, tears streaming down their faces from laughter. Puck's poor cousins looked horrified at the behavior before them (except for Leah and Alissa because true to Beth's word, they were stuffing their faces with Cheetos and didn't seem to notice the fracas unfolding in front of them.)

"Why do I feel like we're being Punk'd?" Mercedes whispered at Rachel, who was wiping tears from her eyes after listening to Miriam tell Tammy that her breath smelled like that of a decaying cat.

Beth, holding her stomach because it hurt from laughing, grunted out, "I feel like I'm watching _The Jerry Springer Show_!"

Puck's cousin Dina (or maybe it was Deena, Rachel couldn't tell), stood up and made her way over to Rachel at the couch. With a horrified look on her face, she said, "I knew it was a mistake to get them all together. _This _is why we haven't had a family gathering in years."

"Really, it's okay," Rachel said, wiping tears away again.

"No it's not," looking at Quinn, she said, "How 'bout we go in the other room and let Rachel open presents? When the five yentas over there finally stop fighting, they can join us."

Quietly, the younger group of women excused themselves, leaving the older women to argue until they either ran out of breath or one of them died.

By the time the five sisters finally worked it out that Nora _had actually_ called "Bingo" first, Rachel had opened nearly all the presents in the next room.

Miriam walked in, looked at the wrapping paper and said, "Damn, why didn't we know you were opening presents?"

Beth rolled her eyes at her mother and turned back towards Rachel. Grabbing the small bag by her side, she shyly handed it to her. "Here, this is from me. It's not much…."

Rachel removed the tissue paper and pulled out a tiny, bright orange t-shirt that said, "Baby Puck" on the front of it.

"This is so cute!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Read the other side," Beth said with a smile.

Rachel flipped it over and her mouth dropped open. The back of the t-shirt said, "Badass in Training."

Sputtering, Rachel looked from the shirt to Beth and then back to the shirt. With a huge grin, she said, "Noah is going to _love_ this!" Beth relaxed, basking in Rachel's compliment.

* * *

Finally, _blessedly_, Puck's family began leaving. As much as Rachel enjoyed meeting them, she was afraid their loud, grating voices and incessant swearing (and she though Noah was bad!) were going to permanently damage the baby. Plus she was pretty sure she was deaf in one ear after Nora, who apparently had an undiagnosed hearing problem that she compensated by yelling every word that came out of her mouth, gave Rachel a picture tour of the "14 babies" that were waiting for her back in Cleveland.

"Quinn, Miriam, thank you so much," Rachel gushed, looking at the massive pile of presents waiting to be taken back home as the rest of the girls all worked to clean up the house. There was very little food left (thanks to Puck's human-vacuum cousins) but trash littered Miriam's small home.

Miriam grabbed Rachel in a hug and then kissed her on the cheek. "Anything for my daughter and grandson!"

Rachel blinked back tears. Miriam was always calling her "daughter" now and it never ceased to make Rachel emotional. Having a mother after all these years was an overpowering feeling. Miriam may have driven Puck crazy with every word she spoke but Rachel adored her. She was how a parent was supposed to be: caring, accepting, loving, and concerned. If only her father would take lessons….

* * *

A few hours after she had left, Rachel walked back into the house she shared with Puck feeling happy and overwhelmed at her afternoon. "Noah," she called. "We need to drive the car down to your mom's to load up all of our shower gifts. You won't believe all the things we got. And after meeting your aunts and cousins, I think our child will need a full mental evaluation as soon as he's old enou…." Her voice trailed off as she stepped into the living room. Puck was sitting on the couch, bent at the waist, his head held in his hands. He was slowly rubbing his face back and forth.

Walking toward him, Rachel said softly, "Noah? Is everything okay?"

Puck said nothing. Rachel approached the back of the couch and saw an envelope and an unfolded piece of paper sitting on the cushion next to him.

"Noah," her voice was urgent. "What's wrong?"

Wordlessly, he grabbed the two pieces of paper and handed them to her. She turned the envelope over and looked at the front. "Mr. Noah Puckerman" was scrawled in small, scratchy handwriting that slanted downward across the white paper. Looking up to the return address section, Rachel's hand went to her mouth as she read:

"Ronald Puckerman

Kansas State Penitentiary"

_Ronald Puckerman_. Horrified, Rachel sucked in a breath. She heard Puck mutter "fuck" under his breath and her eyes immediately dropped to the back of her troubled husband's head.

"Oh Noah…your father…."


	22. The Letter

**A/N: Katertots and KittyGoddess415 – thanks to your conversations today, I've decided that I'm going to work on my non-Glee related fiction novel ****and**** my upcoming Puckleberry story simultaneously. That ensures I won't update like a madwoman when I start my new story AND I'll get to work on my book. Thanks to both of you for being awesome!**

**To everyone else – My next Puckleberry fic is all planned out. This story is quickly drawing to a close (only 4 more chapters left including this one!) The new story is a future fic but won't be AU. I'm so excited about it. I just gotta finish this one first!!!**

* * *

Puck stared at the floor, his head still resting in his hands, while Rachel took the letter in her shaking hands and began to read.

_Dear Noah,_

_If you even open this letter before throwing it away, I will consider this successful. Your mom told me about your wife and the baby on the way. I just wanted to say congratulations. Had I not known about it, I wouldn't be contacting you now. But Noah, I wanted to tell you some stuff in the hopes that you will turn out better than I did._

_I was exactly the age you are now when you were born. Your mother and I were young and not prepared to be parents. But we did the best we could. And even now, I can't explain why I left. Before I met your mom and she ended up pregnant, I ran around a lot and messed with a lot of women. I spent most of my teens and 20s completely fucking sure of myself. When you came along, I tried very hard to be a family man but I guess it just wasn't the life for me. I liked the thrill of the chase and the touch of a different woman every night way too much to really settle down. When I found out that your mom was pregnant again, I guess I got freaked out. And after I left, I got involved with some serious shit, which is why I'm in prison now. I found myself hooked on cocaine and the only way to get money for my fix was to hold up stores. One of the hold-ups went bad and a guy died, thanks to me. So now I sit in prison with a shitload of time on my hands and that makes me do a helluva lot of thinking. _

_Anyway, I guess I'm writing this letter to tell you good luck and that I hope you can be a better parent than I was to you. I think about you and your sister all the time. I'm sorry I was such a shitty father. Just remember that you have to be who you are. You can't force yourself to be someone you're not, which is what I tried to do when I married your mom. Obviously, it didn't turn out well. _

_I don't expect to hear from you and I won't blame you if I don't. But if you do want to write to me, your mom has my address._

_Dad_

Wordlessly, Rachel handed the letter back to Puck, her mind reeling.

"You done?" he asked softly, standing up.

She nodded, watching as he purposefully strode toward the door.

"Noah? Where are you going?" Her voice was an octave higher than normal thanks to nervousness. She stared at his tense back, noticing that his shoulders looked tight. In fact, his entire body looked coiled, like he was ready to spring into fighting mode.

He turned and looked at her. "To chew my fucking mother out for giving this...this..._bastard_...my address."

Turning back around, he yanked the door open and stormed into the waning daylight. Rachel was hot on his heels. She wasn't about to let him confront Miriam alone, especially in the emotional state that he was so obviously in at the moment.

Puck shoved the door open at Miriam's house 90 seconds later and his eyes swept the room, looking for her. He head a few dishes clink together and barged into the kitchen. Miriam turned and smiled at him but her smile slipped from her face as she saw the glare in her son's face and the worry swimming in Rachel's eyes.

"Noah? Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

Puck stepped forward toward the kitchen counter, slamming the letter down on it so hard that it made the silverware in the drawers below vibrate.

"Do you mean to tell me," he gritted out through clenched teeth, "that you gave my motherfucking _father_ our home address? What the fuck were you thinking?"

Miriam went white, her jaw slack. Stepping around the counter, she approached her son and placed her hand on his arm. Her jerked it away, stepping back. His breath was ragged, anger racing through every pore as he stared his mother down, waiting for her answer.

"I'm...I'm sorry, honey. Ron wanted to write you and in a moment of weakness, I guess I gave it to him. I didn't think about asking if it was okay...." Miriam's eyes shifted to Rachel, who stood silently a few feet behind Puck, watching his back intently.

"How long have you been in contact with him?" Puck demanded.

"He wrote me from prison about a year ago," she offered timidly.

"And you think it was fucking okay to talk to him? Mom! He left us! And now he is in prison for killing some guy? What the fuck were you thinking?"

Miriam shook her head. "I'm sorry, honey. I...he...He just wanted to write you a letter to apologize."

Puck walked back toward the counter, jerking the letter off it again. Turning, he stalked out the room.

"Noah! Where are you going?" Miriam ran after him.

"Away from you," he said bitterly, walking back through the front door.

Miriam glanced at Rachel, whose eyes were wide and wet. "I'll talk to him," she whispered, running out the door after he very angry husband.

By the time Rachel caught up with Puck, he was climbing in his car.

"Noah! Wait!" She called, running toward the vehicle. He stopped, his body half-inside, and turned toward her.

"Wh...what are you doing?"

"Going for a drive," he barked at her. When she flinched, he felt a pang of remorse and eased his tone slightly. "I just need to clear my head. I'll be back later." Sliding inside, he closed the door, started the car, and backed out of the driveway. Rachel watched him leave, unsure of what to do. When his taillights disappeared, she went inside, tears of worry streaming down her face.

* * *

Puck drove around Lima for hours before finally stopping at the local park. He got out of the car, slamming the door so hard that the glass shook, and stalked over to a park bench despite the fact that it was now nighttime and the park was very poorly lit. He dared anyone to try to fuck with him in the mood he was in.

Throwing his body down on the metal bench, he swore to himself. _Thirteen fucking years_, he thought. _Thirteen fucking years and he contacts me now...._

Puck thought about his father's words. _Young parent. Sure of himself all the time. Ran around with a lot of women. Thrill of the chase. _Those words swirled around in his gut, digging and needling until they took root deep down. As much as he tried to deny it, one thought kept coming back into his head: He was _exactly like_ his fucking father. His whole life, he had wanted to be _anything_ but like Ron Puckerman, only to discover that he was definitely his father's son. He slept with women like they were disposable. He got a girl pregnant and married her. _Fuck. I am my father._ The thought made his stomach churn.

Rachel's face danced through his brain, making Puck nearly nauseated with guilt. Would he do the same thing to Rachel? Would he wake up one day and decide he couldn't handle being with her and their kid and just take off? That's what his father had done, despite the fact that his mother loved him and had tried to make it work. Could he do that to Rachel? Would he, on some random day, wake up and decide he didn't want to be around her anymore and leave her alone in the world? He _was_ his fucking father so what would stop him?

_Fuck._

Puck stood up from the bench and began pacing. His brain was nearly unable to form coherent thoughts as his blood continued to rage through his veins. Instead, images from his childhood flashed through his mind. His father yelling at his mother. His mother crying. His dad being around less and less until he just didn't come back. Crying himself to sleep as a kid, hoping his dad would come visit for his birthday.

Panic raced through his body when he pictured Rachel's pregnant belly. That was his son... Was the Puckerman cycle of complete fuck-up-edness going to continue, passed down from generation to generation like a recipe or family story? Puck dropped back down on the bench, bile rising in his throat_. _Would he leave that boy, despite the fact that right now, at that moment, he loved that baby more than life itself and he hadn't even met him yet?

Slouching in his seat, Puck leaned back and looked up at the stars. _I am not Ron Puckerman. I cannot let myself become the worthless, shell of a man that he obviously is now._

Standing up on weary feet, his heart was so heavy it felt like it was pounding from somewhere down near his stomach. He _was _his father. The similarities between their two lives up until this point was glaringly obvious. He was so fucking conflicted that it made him sick.

Puck slipped into the darkened house at 11:30pm. Dropping his clothes, he silently slid into bed next to Rachel's still form. As soon as he did, she turned to face him.

"Are you okay?" she whispered in the darkness.

"I don't want to talk about it," was his cold reply.

Rachel's felt like her heart missed a beat at his icy words. "Noah, we have to talk about it." She slid closer to him, reaching for his body in an attempt to comfort him with her own. He jerked when she touched him.

"Not tonight, Rachel." Puck flipped over on his side, his back to her. She stared ahead, unbelieving that he was shutting her out. The fact that he had rejected her burned through her stomach like heartburn. He was a _very_ physical man who had never said no to her touch. Without another word, she turned away from him. Tears on her cheeks, she stared into the blackness of the bedroom, hope against hope that he would change his mind and turn to her and take her in his arms, until exhaustion forced her to sleep.

* * *

When Rachel woke up the next morning, Puck's spot in the bed was already cold. Vaulting out of bed as fast as her pregnant belly would carry her and searched the house but he was gone.

With a heavy heart, Rachel got dressed and headed downstairs. Veering out the door, she made a bee-line for Miriam's house.

Knocking softly, she pushed the door open. Miriam was sitting on the couch, staring off into blank space. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her nose was raw.

"Miriam," Rachel said, "have you seen Noah this morning?"

Miriam shook her head, bringing a tissue to her nose. "I haven't seen him since he left here angry last night."

"Oh," Rachel sighed, dejectedly, as she sat down next to Miriam on the couch. "He came home late last night but was gone when I got up this morning. He wouldn't talk to me last night, either." As she spoke, she choked on the unshed tears collecting in her throat. Miriam threw her arm over Rachel, pulling her into a hug.

"Don't take it personally. Any time he has ever been upset about something, he pulls in and won't talk until he's good and ready. But he will… If he talks to _anyone_, it will be you because he loves you."

"I hope you're right." Rachel gave Miriam a quick hug and then let herself out of the house. She wasn't going to sit around and wait for Noah today. When he was ready, he would come to her.

Rachel spent her afternoon with Quinn, who took her mind off her troubles by taking her to see a tear-jerking chick flick and then out for gooey, fatty pizza that made the baby _very_ happy. (Okay, it made Rachel happy but it was easier to blame it on the baby.)

When she got home, it was almost dark again. She nearly cried with relief when she saw that Puck's car was in the driveway.

Walking inside, she quietly looked in each room for him before finally finding him on the floor of the completed nursery, quietly strumming his guitar. Opening the door wide, she leaned against the jamb. He looked up, his troubled eyes meeting her worried ones, and then looked back down at his guitar.

"Noah, talk to me."

Puck ignored her. Instead, he continued to strum soft chords on his guitar.

Undeterred, Rachel spoke again. "I'm not going away until you talk to me."

"I don't want to fucking talk," Puck growled. "I want to deal with this shit on my own."

Rachel exhaled, anger taking hold in her small body. "Guess what? You're _not_ alone anymore and you are going to _have_ to talk to me about this. And I hardly think being mean to me is going to make you feel any better."

Puck winced at her words. He _was _being a jerk to her. That, he couldn't deny. But how did he talk to her about this? It was the most personal, terrible shit he could imagine to suddenly discover that his life mirrors the person's he fucking hated the most.

Rachel lowered her pregnant body carefully to the floor so that she could look him in the eye. "I am not backing down. Your reaction to this has been ridiculous and I'm not going to tolerate it anymore."

_Ridiculous? _Was she fucking kidding? Puck glared at Rachel. "My reaction to this has been justified. How would you like to discover one day that you are exactly like Marcus, who we both know is a worthless piece of shit? How would that make you feel?"

Rachel glowered. "I know I'm not anything like my father. And you know what? You know, deep down, that you aren't anything like yours, either."

"How can you say that?" Puck sat his guitar to the side and angrily jammed his fingers through his hair. "You read the fucking letter. I could have written it myself! I slept around like crazy, I got you pregnant, we got married. All that's left is for me to just up and leave you and then I can complete the fucking cycle!"

Snorting, Rachel wrapped her hand around Puck's bicep and held tight. "You are being an idiot, Noah Puckerman. You need to walk back in that bathroom and take a nice long look at yourself in the mirror. Then maybe you'll see what I see: A good man who may have some flaws but who loves me and this baby _too much_ to ever walk away."

"But you don't know that!" Puck yelled. "My dad tried to be a family man and look what happened to him?"

Rachel jammed her hands on her hips. "Yes I do know that."

"How?" he asked, his voice softer and his eyes quizzical, almost desperate to hear her answer.

"You had the chance to have _a lot_ of money to be with me. And you chose to be broke instead so that you could have me without interference. So guess what? That _right there_ makes you different. Do you think your father would have turned given that money back? You CHOSE this life with me when you could have easily walked away. And I know that you're not going to leave me _now_ when you could have left _then_."

Closing his eyes, Puck took a deep breath. When he spoke, his voice was very quiet. "I just don't know how you can have so much faith in me when I don't have any in myself. We haven't known each other that long. How can you be sure that I'm the man that you think I am? You could wake up tomorrow and I could be gone."

Rachel scooted up on her knees, her hands sliding until they were on either side of Puck's face. Once his eyes were locked with hers, she spoke. "I can wake up 25 years from now and know that you'll still be there. I have faith in you because _I love you_. You have changed my life forever. Do you know how lonely I was before you? My life was very sad...school and doing what my father told me was my whole world. But now, y_ou_ and this baby are the reason I get up every morning. _You_ are the reason I am nearly free of my father's control. _You _are the reason I can sleep soundly at night, even though I don't know what the future holds because I know, regardless of what happens, that _you_ will be by my side."

Puck's eyes closed again and his head fell forward, his forehead meeting Rachel's. She felt his body relax as tension began to slowly sleep from every taut muscle. Slowly, his arms slipped around her waist and he pulled her against his chest. "I don't deserve you," he whispered, his eyes clenched tight. Staring at his gorgeous face, Rachel saw liquid dancing in the corner of his eyes. Rachel dropped a gentle kiss on each eyelid before pushing herself up on her knees and pulling his head to her breast.

"You deserve me _and_ you're stuck with me," she whispered into his hair.

"I love you, babe," his voice was weak and full of emotion as he spoke.

"I know you do, Noah."

"Even if I am like him, that doesn't mean I have to end up the same way. I'll never leave. I want to be the man that you see when you look at me."

"I know that, too."

Puck clung to Rachel tightly that night, making love to her like he hadn't touched her in months. As he drifted off to sleep, her hand gently massaging his scalp, she thought about the course of events that had taken place. This entire incident with Ron Puckerman had made one thing very clear to Rachel: it was time she confronted her own father and dealt with him and his manipulation once and for all.


	23. Daddy Issues

**A/N: I'm working hard on this story now. I am so close to being done that I can taste it! Anyway – more angst ahead. Put your angst-jackets on…..**

* * *

Even though Rachel was long on resolve, she was short on nerve when it came to dealing with her father and his steely nature. As a result, it was nearly a week and a half after she made the decision to confront her father that she actually found herself walking through the stately doors of her former home, ready to "have it out" with her controlling, manipulative father.

Stepping inside the grandiose house, the familiar chill seemed to immediately seep into her body, causing Rachel to shudder. The house was always so uncomfortable, partly because it was so large but mostly because it was never really a "home." There were no dirty socks lying haphazardly on couches, no dirty dishes waiting to be scrubbed in the sink, no hair collecting in the tub drains, no stains on the carpet, no creaky stairs that needed attention that would probably never come, no empty nail holes littering the walls: in short, it was like it was never really lived in. It was always more of a showpiece than anything, but it took Rachel's moving out and into much more conservative quarters for her to realize what the definition of "home" really was.

Rachel's steps echoed on the marble floors as she approached her father's study door timidly. Standing before it, she took a deep breath, balling her fists so tightly that her knuckles went white. Pushing it open, she locked eyes with her father, who was, as usual, sitting behind his desk. He looked up and surprise marked his features. He stood up quickly, stepping around the desk, to walk toward his daughter.

"Rachel. What a surprise! How are you?" His eyes surveyed her form. "You look well."

"Thank you, Daddy. I feel well. I'm tired a lot and the baby kicks like crazy, often when I'm trying to sleep, but other than that, I am doing great."

Marcus stared at his daughter with an intense look on his face. Rachel's eyes averted to the floor out of habit. He noticed that her cheeks were flushed and couldn't help but think that the pregnant look seemed to suit her.

"To what do I owe this honor?" Marcus finally asked after a silent moment that, to Rachel, felt like it stretched forever.

"I'm actually here because we need to talk, Daddy."

Marcus motioned for Rachel to take a seat on the sofa. He sat at the other end, unsure of what Rachel's purpose to visit was but glad to see her just the same.

"I'm listening, honey," his voice was smooth and comforting.

Rachel's words caught in her throat as she tried to muster up the strength to say what she needed to say. Marcus watched her facial expression go from nervousness to confidence in the span of nearly a second. Her eyes glimmering, she began speaking with a tough, stern voice.

"Daddy, as I said in my email a few weeks ago, I'm very disappointed in you. I can't understand why you act the way you do."

Marcus gave Rachel an uncomfortable smile. "Well, I always have my reasons, honey."

"Well then kindly explain to me why you tried to have my husband arrested for drugs, which he isn't involved with _anyway_! Why would you do that to me, Daddy? Why would you do that to _him_? He had never done anything to you other than marry me – at your request – and then defend me when you starting saying untoward things…."

Marcus began to speak but Rachel barked, "I'm not finished." His jaws flapped shut again as he let her speak her piece.

"But this is about more than just Noah, Daddy. For my _whole life_, you have treated me like a business partner instead of a child. I mean, you used to discuss the stock market with me over dinner – and I was eight years old! Sure, you entertained my interests but you never once, not once in my entire life, ever expressed a shared interest with me. But then I do something stupid and end up pregnant and instead of being supportive and concerned about _me_, you immediately began obsessing about the stupid "Berry reputation that must be protected." Not once during that entire situation did you ever ask me how I felt, if I was scared, or even what _I _wanted. Instead, you pawned me off on Noah, who you _paid off_ so that he'd be with me. If I didn't love him so much now that it scares me, I would never be able to forgive you. But lucky for you, he's the love of my life and so for forcing us together, I will say _thank you._ But that doesn't change the real reason I'm here – your control issues."

Marcus felt his face grow hot with anger. Rachel had never spoken to him such a manner. He had raised her to be proper, respectful, and to always honor his wishes without question. This husband of hers was creating a monster.

"I don't have control "issues," Rachel, I simply like to make sure things happen a certain way." Marcus laid a hand on each of his thighs, his palms damp from unacknowledged emotion.

Rachel snorted and put a very Puckerman-like smirk on her face. "You live for control. Half of this pathetic town is under your thumb."

"If you mean that my status is respected, then you are correct."

Rachel shoved her pregnant body up from the leather couch and began pacing across the room.

"But Daddy, why have you always treated me like one of the lowly citizens instead of your child?" Turning to face her father, her eyes were swimming with unshed tears. "I'm your daughter, Daddy. Don't you think that maybe sometimes, what I've needed is a hug and not an edict?"

Marcus didn't know what to say and frankly, knew she wasn't even waiting on a response.

"Not everything in this world can be solved through behind-closed-door dealings and under-the-table business deals, you know. Sometimes, a kind word, a hand on the shoulder, a kiss on the forehead, or maybe just a pat on the head would have done the trick. But no…all through my life, it's always been about "exacting revenge" or "protecting the family legacy." And now, guess what Daddy? I don't care about this family legacy. I have a new family. _That_ is the only legacy I will _ever_ be concerned about. And you can sit there and be angry and plot revenge but you need to remember one very important thing: you forced this. _You _are the only reason I am disavowing myself of the Berry family until you can prove that you care."

Marcus sputtered. His chest was tight and he wanted to yell at Rachel but didn't know what he would say. When looking at it through her eyes, he really had no defense that he could ever be able to express properly to her.

Rachel sat back down and looked him square in the eyes, speaking softly. "All a girl really wants is a father who loves her."

"How can you say I don't love you?" Marcus stood up, roaring as he spoke. "I have done everything I can to ensure that you have had _the best_ possible life. If that doesn't show love, what else does?"

"Like I said before, Daddy. A hug, a kiss. Or maybe the words, "I love you" coming from your mouth, even once, would have told me. Do you realize you have _never_ told me that in my entire life? What kind of father is that?" Her voice was reflective, tinged with the pain of a lonely childhood that still haunted her.

"Just because I never said the words doesn't mean I didn't feel that way. I believe that my entire life has been about protecting you, and this family, so that the Berry name would be synonymous with goodness, power, and ability. Your future is secure thanks to my hard work."

Rachel stood up, her shoulders slumping. She felt exhausted, as if everything she had to say was now drained from her and she had nothing left to spar with. The fight was gone. Trying to reason with her father was akin to talking to a stone statue. And she had no intention of staying any longer, repeating herself like a broken record. All she wanted to do was go home and be enveloped in Noah's strong arms because _he_ knew exactly what love was and had no problem expressing it in a myriad of ways. That love made her feel alive. _He and this baby are all I have…and all I need. _Her features expressionless, Rachel spoke. "Daddy, I give up. I just give up. There is no getting through to you…You're never going to see that there is more to life than a good reputation or exemplary public standing." Rachel turned to leave. She stopped after a few steps, though, and turned back to her father. "I'm done, Daddy. Until you decide to love me for what and for who that I am, _I'm done_. Until you figure out what it means to be a real father, _I'm _done." With a look of determination bringing color back to her face, she flipped her hair and disappeared from his view, shutting the study door behind her with a slam.

Marcus stepped back behind his desk, his nerves frayed and raw from the argument, when he heard a sound that made his blood run cold: a horrible, painful scream that seemed to echo through the large house, ricocheting off the walls. A few seconds after the scream, the sickening sound of a heavy thud echoed across the heavy air of the home. Mere moments later, his cook, Trudy, ran into the room, her face frantic. "Marcus!" she screamed. "Rachel fell down the stairs! Call 911!"

"Rachel!" Marcus grabbed his cell phone, dialed 911, and ran toward her daughter, panic taking the breath from his lungs and leaving him winded. He began speaking to the operator on the other end as he stared at the sickening sight of his daughter on the floor at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious. Her body looked uninjured but there was a massive cut on her face, from her temple to nearly her jaw, most likely from making contact with the marble stairs. His eyes immediately went to her belly. Nothing looked wrong, at first. But then, as he bent over her, his breath hot and strangled, he saw blood beginning to appear on her pants from between her thighs.

_Dear God…._

A few minutes later, which felt like years to Marcus, the sound of sirens filled the large entry way. One of his employees let in the EMTs, who rushed in with a stretcher. They worked over her for a few minutes, checking her vitals and assessing the health of the baby the best that they could.

"Is she going to be okay?" Marcus asked the nearest medic, his voice trembling.

"Nothing appears to be broken. Her head is going to need some stitches, though. Our concern is the baby. We _have_ to get her to the hospital now."

They quickly loaded Rachel, still unconscious, onto the stretcher and rushed her to the ambulance. Marcus hopped in beside her as they closed her door. Fear washing over him for his unborn grandson, he grabbed Rachel's hand and held tightly to it for the short ride to the hospital.

Once they arrived, Marcus hopped out and watched them rush Rachel inside. Turning to face the sunlight, he pulled out his cell phone again, his fingers shaking as he worked the phone to locate Noah's number. Hitting the "send" button, it rang three times before Puck answered.

Puck didn't recognize the number but answered anyway.

"Noah," The person on the other end of the phone was breathing in short, ragged breaths. "This is Marcus. Please, don't hang up. It's...it's about Rachel."

Puck's stomach dropped. "What about Rachel?"

"She...she came to see me and when she was leaving...well, I don't know what happened...but she fell. She's at the hospital."

Puck felt his head begin to swim. White dots of light began to filter into his vision, obliterating everything he was looking at. _Rachel. The baby. Oh God…._

"Marcus, is she okay? What about the baby?" Puck shouted into the phone as the most horrible fear he had ever experienced took hold at the base of his skull and spread through his body until he thought he'd go under from the weight of it.

Marcus was silent before finally answering. "I...I don't know. But you need to get here now. I'll meet you outside the emergency entrance."

Finn, who had been standing a few feet away, watched the entire one-sided conversation unfold and saw the blood drain from Puck's face, leaving him pale and shaking.

"Dude? What's wrong?"

Puck stared at him blankly, almost as though he didn't even see him standing there. "Rachel…accident...the baby...hospital," he grunted out, his voice warbled and weak.

Without thinking, Finn grabbed Puck's arm and yanked him toward the door. "I'll drive you, man!"

As Puck threw himself into Finn's truck, he closed his eyes and begged whoever, _whatever_, may be out there listening. _Please let them both be okay. Please. They're my life...._

**

* * *

A/N: I know you hate me for leaving it there. I'm sorry….**


	24. Waiting

**A/N: See! I didn't make you wait for too long!!!!! Sorry that I caused a few freak-outs. Every once in a while, we all need a cliffhanger!!!**

* * *

Finn's truck had barely pulled to a stop before Puck was pushing the door open and jumping out. Sprinting, he bolted across the parking lot to the Emergency entrance of Lima General Hospital. True to his word, Marcus was standing by the door, wringing his hands while his brow was furrowed with worry.

"Marcus!" Puck yelled, running toward him.

Marcus shot out into the circular drive to meet Puck. "They were able to bring her around. She was just moved from the ER up to delivery."

Puck paled. "Delivery? She's only at 35 weeks! He's not ready yet!"

Marcus' face was screwed up, his nerves shot. "I know…We need to get up to Delivery right away." Grabbing Puck's arm, Marcus began to pull him. Turning back toward Finn, Puck yelled, "Can you call my mom and tell her to get here? Please?"

"Already on it, man! Go to her!" Finn waved him off, putting the cell phone to his ear.

Puck ran to the elevator, hitting the "Up" button 15 times before the door finally opened. He and Marcus jumped inside, pressed the "2" button, and waited impatiently as the elevator seemed to crawl towards their destination. It felt like another eternity once the elevator stopped and the doors rolled open. _Come the fuck on!_ Puck barely broke his stride as he read the sign to see which direction he needed to head. Once he found it, he took off at full speed, his heart pounding and his hands shaking.

He skidded to a stop at the nurses' station. "Puckerman! I'm here for Rachel Puckerman!" He shouted at the three nurses behind the desk. They all looked up, wide-eyed, at the nearly rabid young man standing before them. One of the older nurses smiled at him and stepped forward.

"Sir, are you her husband?"

Puck nodded his head furiously.

"They are prepping your wife for surgery now."

"How….how is she?" His voice shook just as much as his hands did.

"She took a nasty fall. They haven't actually stitched her face up but will do that once they deliver the baby."

"Oh God…how's our son? Please tell me he's alive?"

The nurse reached across the counter and grabbed his hand, patting it to comfort him. "He is very lucky. The fall damaged her uterus and put the baby in distress but as long as they get him out within the next few minutes, he's going to be fine." Just then, a buzzer rang. Looking up at the flashing light, she said, "They're calling me back to the delivery room now. We're going to do a C-section and unfortunately, we can't have you back there since this is so rushed. But please stay in the waiting room and we'll be out as soon as we take care of your family."

Puck nodded dumbly, whispering, "Thank you."

As she stepped away, he turned and nearly ran into Marcus. Puck grabbed his arm and said, "What the fuck happened, exactly? I didn't even know she was going to your house today."

Marcus exhaled. "Rachel came over to talk and…we argued. She finally got mad at me and told me she was done with our relationship. She then left and literally a few seconds later, I heard her scream as she fell down the stairs. I called 911 immediately and they got her here in record time."

Puck's entire body shivered as he imagined his very pregnant wife tumbling down the marble staircase. He suddenly felt very dizzy. Falling into an old plastic chair, he dropped his head between his knees and tried to concentrate on breathing. Realizing he was losing the battle, Puck stood up and ran towards the men's room, where he emptied the contents of his stomach.

After rinsing his mouth and throwing cold water on his very pale face, he stared at himself in the mirror and willed himself to get a grip. Rachel and the baby _had_ to be fine. They hadn't come this far and endured _this _much only to lose it all now. That woman and that baby meant _everything_ to him and they simply had to be okay. Steeling himself against his raging emotions, he gripped the sink, took a deep breath, and walked back into the waiting room. Finn was now standing with Marcus and they were both staring intently at the restroom door, waiting for Puck.

"You okay?" Finn asked, putting his hand reassuringly on Puck's shoulder. Puck shook his head "no" and dropped into a chair.

"Your mom, sister, and Quinn are on their way," Finn said.

Puck nodded, staring at the door to the delivery area.

"Is there anything you need, son?" Marcus asked. Puck winced at the word "son" but Marcus didn't notice. Puck wasn't sure Marcus even realized he had said it because, for once, Puck could tell that Marcus was genuinely concerned about Rachel's well-being. _What a shitty time to decide to give a fuck about your daughter._

"No, Marcus, I'm fine." Then he quickly added, "Thank you, though."

The three men sat in silence, all worried and too overwhelmed to talk. Suddenly, a very loud Miriam, who had come rushing down the hall after getting off the elevator, interrupted the quiet of their thoughts. Beth trailed behind her, struggling to keep up. Seeing Puck, Miriam dropped her purse and ran to him, pulling him into a very hard hug.

"How is she? How's my Rachel?" she asked into his shoulder.

"She's in delivery right now."

Miriam pushed herself back, her hands firmly gripping Puck's shoulders. "Delivery? The baby? It's so early!"

"Her uterus was damaged when she fell. The baby is in distress, according to the nurse. So they're delivering him now or…or…they'll lose him." As the words escaped his mouth, Puck shook his head in disbelief. Through those doors, his son was coming into the world. His son…_My boy… _But was he going to be alive when he got there? Puck shook his head, pushing away negative thoughts. That baby was a Puckerman and Puckermans came _out_ fighting!

Miriam pulled herself from her son's embrace and, with a curt nod to Marcus, sat down in a plastic chair. Beth slowly walked up to Puck, wrapped her arms around his waist, and hugged him quickly before pulling away, her eyes wet, to sit down by her mother. Finn looked up, hearing the familiar click of heels against the floor, and ran to Quinn when she came around the corner.

"How is she?" Quinn gushed. In a quiet tone, Finn rehashed everything to Quinn, whose eyes immediately went to Puck and searched his face. Lines around his eyes etched in his worry.

Walking up to him, she hugged him and placed a hand on his cheek. Looking into his pained eyes, she whispered, "They're both going to be fine. I just know it."

"I hope you're right, Quinn."

The group settled into a very uncomfortable holding pattern. Every time the double doors open, Puck popped out of his chair. Realizing that he wasn't getting any news out of that particular person, he would sit back down, but not before shooting the unhelpful and oblivious person a hateful glance. He rubbed his hands through his hair, stretched, and sighed loudly. By then, a few other people had come to the waiting room to wait on other births and they were all smiling happily. Puck wanted to punch every one of them. How could they smile like idiots when his whole life hung in the balance behind those stupid metal doors?

After nearly an hour had passed, Puck stood up and kicked the ugly plastic chair so that it skidded across the polished surface of the floor. The happy people on the other side of the room turned to stare at him, clearly startled. "This is bullshit. What is taking so fucking long?"

Miriam shot Puck an assuring look. "C-sections take time. Plus they have to check Rachel's uterus and the surrounding organs for possible internal bleeding. Please be patient, honey…I'm sure they're okay."

"Fuck," Puck uttered.

Marcus, who had been sitting silently the entire time, stood up. "Noah, I'll be back. I'm going to go pull some strings to see if we can get an update."

Marcus stepped away and Puck rolled his eyes because he knew Marcus was going to go try to wield his power. But, _fuck_, if it got him news about Rachel and the baby, he didn't fucking care.

Minutes passed like hours as Puck stared down the hall in the direction that Marcus had disappeared. When he returned, he had a smile on his face. "You'll be able to see her in a few minutes. She's been moved out of recovery and they're getting the two of them situated in a room right now."

Puck felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "The two of them? He's…he's okay?"

Marcus placed a firm hand on Puck's shoulder. "Your son is fine."

Relief washed over Puck's body like a chilly wind. His vision blurred again as tears claimed his face. "Thank you, Marcus," Puck uttered, his gaze locking with Marcus'. Marcus nodded and took a seat beside Miriam again. Miriam actually smiled at him this time instead of glaring.

The double-doors opened and the same nurse from earlier approached him. "Mr. Puckerman? You can follow me."

Puck was behind her in a flash, nearly stepping on her heels as she led him down the hall and past a series of rooms. Near the end of the hall, she stopped and motioned for him.

"They're in there." Smiling, she patted his shoulder and said, "Congratulations, dad."

Puck felt like his legs were made of jelly. He was dizzy, scared, and so happy that he couldn't breathe. He stopped by the door, looking inside through the small gap. He let out a small gasp when he saw Rachel, bruised but beautiful.

"Noah," Rachel said groggily as she saw him peek through the crack in the door. Puck pushed the door open farther. Rachel was propped up in bed, a huge bandage across the cut on her face. In her arms was a blanket. As he walked forward softly, he noticed the blanket move slightly and then saw a tiny fist emerge from the blue material and reach out toward the empty air.

"_Holy fuck_," Puck whispered, his steps faltering as his eyes fixed on the tiny hand. He ran forward, stopping to wrap his arm around Rachel's shoulder. Kissing her on the lips, he looked down, for the first time, into the eyes of his tiny son. The baby was staring up at him, his little eyes wide. Puck's vision suddenly went hazy as he stared through the tears unabashedly streaming down his face. Rachel lifted the baby away from her body and motioned for Puck to take him.

Carefully, he slipped the tiny bundle into his arms. At first, he was unable to speak. He finally managed to peal his gaze away from his son and look down at Rachel. "Is he okay?"

Rachel nodded. "He's small and will have to stay in the hospital for a few days but he's okay. Actually, he's perfect." Rachel looked into Puck's eyes. "And he looks just like you."

Puck exhaled heavily with relief. Walking over to the chair, he sat down, his eyes never leaving his son.

Bending down, he pressed his nose to the tiny head and inhaled his scent. Looking tenderly at him, he whispered, "Hey, bud. I'm your dad. I've been waiting for you to get here."

From her bed, Rachel watched her husband virtually sob as he held their son. Her own tears ran down her cheeks because she couldn't believe that he was here. This tiny, helpless human had been created in nearly the worst of circumstances but had caused a revolutionary life change for two people before he ever even made it into the world. And now he was _finally _here, breathing the same air as the two people who would love him and protect him for his entire life. She couldn't believe she could finally touch him, hold him, and sing to him. Puck looked up at her, smiling through tears of elation, and said, "I love you, Rachel. Thank you for him."

Wiping her tears away, she smiled, her heart pounding with the overwhelming love she felt for the sobbing man a few feet away and the tiny, squirmy baby in his strong arms. "So now comes the hardest part. What, exactly, are we going to name our little guy?"


	25. Coming Home

**A/N: Second to last chapter, peeps! And they're both short because…well….just because.**

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Puck stayed in the hospital room with Rachel and the baby for nearly an hour, tossing around baby names while the infant slept quietly in his arms. Once they had _finally_ agreed on a name (and Puck was secretly thankful for the first of many times that the baby was sleeping because it prohibited Rachel from yelling at his "awful" suggestions), Puck delicately handed the slumbering child back to Rachel and went to the waiting room to get the family.

When he stepped into the room, the five people waiting for him could tell, from the relaxed stance of his body to the massive grin on his face, that everything was wonderful.

"Well?" Miriam prodded hopefully.

Puck stepped forward. "He's here. He's fine. He's _beautiful._" Puck knew he was going to end up gushing about his son but he assumed, for today at least, that he could do it without feeling like a total homo.

"Can we see him?" Marcus asked, a genuine smile on his face.

"Sure!" Puck clapped his hands together. "Follow me!"

He led the crew back down the hall and knocked on Rachel's door. Opening it, he said, "We have visitors."

She motioned for him to come in and he pushed the door open and stepped aside wit his fingers to his lips to let everyone know to speak quietly.

They all stepped inside and Rachel was taken aback at seeing her father there. He met her eyes and smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay, honey. I was so worried," he whispered. Tears sprang to her eyes. His words were sincere. The smile on his face was completely authentic. For the first time in her life, she felt like her father _actually cared._

"Who wants to hold Baby Caleb first?" Rachel whispered to the group.

"Caleb?" Miriam asked, eyeing the baby like she was going to snatch him and never give him back to his parents. (Puck saw that look, too, and balled his fists. He could practically picture the fights ahead because of _that woman._)

Puck nodded, taking the baby out of Rachel's arms. Holding him so that they could all see, he said, "Guys, meet Caleb Alexander Puckerman."

* * *

Two days after Caleb was born, once Rachel and he had been under observation for 48 hours to ensure there were no surprise effects from their nasty fall, they were released to go home. Despite the fact that he was five weeks premature, he was 5 lbs. 3 oz., which means he was large enough to leave the hospital.

As they headed home, Rachel watched the scenery move by rather slowly and screwed up her eyebrows in concern.

"Noah?" she asked from the backseat, where she was sitting with Caleb. "Is there a problem with the car?"

From the front seat, Puck groaned. "No, babe, just takin' it easy."

Rachel smiled out at the landscape that crawled by. "But baby," she began sweetly, "we'll get home a lot faster if you take the car out of neutral."

Scowling, Puck pressed his foot on the gas. Once he was safely cruising at 45, he hit the "set" button on the cruise control "Okay, Miss Speed Demon, I hope you're happy now."

Rachel snorted with laughter and looked down at Caleb, who was sleeping soundly next to her. Her heart pounded every single time she looked his way. His features were so tiny and perfect. He really did look like a miniature version of his father. And she had said many silent prayers of thanks for the fact that he hadn'tinherited _her_ nose. Through her entire pregnancy, that had been her most secret, unacknowledged fear. And wonderfully, it hadn't come to fruition because Caleb's little nose was perfect and didn't, in any way, resemble the schnoz that stared back at her from own her baby pictures.

After arriving home on a 10-mile drive that took nearly 25 minutes thanks to the incredibly sexy but visibly nervous father at the helm, they took Caleb and the bags inside. Rachel sighed contentedly, happy to be home. Hospitals were noisy and uncomfortable and she couldn't get any sleep without being interrupted by nurses, doctors, or visitors. She was dying to fall into bed.

Silently, they walked up the steps and into the completed nursery. Puck sat the baby carrier down on the floor and gently unbuckled the straps. Lifting the sleeping baby, he placed him in the crib on his back.

Both parents looked down for a moment, adoring the sight before them. Then Rachel flipped on the baby monitor, grabbed the speaker, and they stealthily left the room.

"Noah, I'm going to take a nap while he's sleeping. I'm so tired," Rachel whispered when they were nearly out of earshot.

Puck yawned. "I'm coming with you. I couldn't sleep for shit while you were in the hospital."

They walked into the bedroom and Puck began discarding his clothing. He was exhausted but felt totally at peace. The woman he loved more than anything was safe and okay and they had a badass-looking baby sleeping in the next bedroom (even at two-days old, Puck could totally tell that the kid was going to have his skills.) Life was _fucking awesome._

"Hey babe," Puck leered as Rachel slipped out of her pants. "You wanna try to make another kid?" He raised his eyebrows towards his forehead suggestively.

Rachel smacked his arm and rolled her eyes. Dropping the nightgown over her head, she watched Puck's face contort. "You're sleeping in clothes? What the hell?"

Pulling back the covers, Rachel slipped under them. "We won't be having sex for a while so I thought I'd go back to sleeping into a nightgown. It may…deter…some of your midnight advances."

Puck slid into the bed next to her, propping himself up on his arm so he could gaze down at his wife. She still had a bandage over her massive cut and bruises on her face. And she was so gorgeous that it made his chest constrict.

"Whaddya mean 'we won't be having sex for a while'?'

"Normally," Rachel began, knowing she was about to witness a sex-deprived flip-out, "if I had delivered Caleb vaginally, I wouldn't be able to have sex for at least six weeks." She watched Puck's face pale and she chuckled. "Since I delivered via Cesarean, the doctor told me to allow myself to heal before we resume our normal sexual activities."

"So, uhh…" Puck was nervous, images of celibate nights flashing through his brain. "How long, actually, is that going to be?"

Rachel smiled sweetly up at him, pushing herself to kiss him on the lips. When she pulled away, she whispered, "Four to eight weeks." Then she flipped on her side away from him and settled into the pillows.

The room was silent for a moment but Rachel knew _it _was coming. Grinning like a madwoman into the day lit room, she heard Puck suck in a breath.

"_The fuck?_ You mean we have to wait that fucking long to have sex again? _Holy shit! _And your tits are huge right now! You mean I don't get to enjoy them? I am probably going to fucking die." His voice was high-pitched, almost whiny, and his expression was pathetically wounded.

"Nap, Noah," she said in response, unwilling to give into his pity-party.

Puck grunted and Rachel felt his body flop against the mattress with obvious frustration.

Smiling into her pillows, she closed her eyes.

His voice was low and determined. "You better not get pissed if a few pornos start showing up around here. I'm just tellin' ya now. My body is like a well-oiled machine and if I don't keep it in tip-top performance shape, my sexual skills may wane. And you don't want _that_ shit, do you?"

Rachel laughed. Turning to face him, her lips found his and latched on.

When she pulled away, she whispered, "I said we couldn't have sex…but my mouth is still in perfect working order, you know. And if I recall, you seem to enjoy _those_ skills just fine." Under the blankets, she patted his thigh. "I think we'll manage."

Turning back over, she left her happily stunned husband with his thoughts and forced herself to get a few hours of sleep before Caleb needed feeding again.

**

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A/N: Final chapter, coming right up!**


	26. Epilogue

**A/N: Posting Chapter 25 and the epilogue at the same time so make sure you read the previous chapter first!**

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ONE YEAR LATER**

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The small living room of the Puckerman household was packed full of people. Shiny packages were piled on a table nearby and there were decorations featuring cartoon trucks and trains everywhere. Rachel was flitting from the kitchen to the living room and back again, grabbing utensils, plates, and napkins. Miriam stood in the middle of the room, bouncing Caleb in her arms while his grandfather, Marcus, dangled a toy in front of his face and talked in a low tone.

"Oh, Marcus. Caleb doesn't care about _that_!" Miriam whined, glaring at the older man.

Marcus glowered at her in return. "Caleb _will_ care, someday, about which college he should go to. And a healthy appreciation of an education can never start too early."

Miriam rolled her eyes. "Do you ever just relax? I mean, goodness, take the hanger out of your shirt and _relax_! You can talk to him about colleges when he's 16. Right now, he cares about drooling, eating, and making doo-doo."

Quinn giggled at the exchange. These gatherings usually resulted in the two grandparents bickering over which one was better with the baby. Puck usually wanted to punch them both and kick them out but Rachel just smiled, happy to have a mother in Miriam and a father who, after never really understanding how to be a real father, took to being a grandfather like it was his second nature. He _doted_ on the littlest Puckerman.

Puck stepped back inside the house from checking the food on the grill and whistled shrilly to get everyone's attention. All eyes, including the smaller hazel ones that were nearly identical in color to his own, turned toward him. Rachel zipped back into the living room, serving spoon in hand, and nodded to him.

"Thanks, guys, for coming today. I know you probably have better things to do on a Saturday than spend it with us." Puck motioned for Rachel to join him. Once she had, he dropped his arm around her shoulder and tugged her tight to his side. "We wanted all the important people here when we celebrated Caleb's first birthday."

Puck looked around the room. His best friend in the world, Finn, was staring at him but had his hand gently resting on his wife's visibly pregnant belly. Puck thought about the day, nearly six months ago now, when the two of them came over to the house, giddy with excitement, to announce that Quinn was pregnant. The ink was barely dry on their marriage certificate and now they were starting a family of their own. Quinn and Rachel squealed and hopped around the room, planning "play dates" and trips to museums and other mommy-related things that bored Finn and Puck because it didn't involve cars, grease, music, or women.

Puck's eyes traveled to the happy African-American couple sitting on the couch. Mercedes and Robb were still seeing each other, after being introduced at Rachel's graduation cookout. And even Jimmy had managed to find a woman who didn't think he was repulsive. Her name was Rita and she was a gorgeous Latina. _Far too gorgeous_ for Jimmy, in Puck's opinion. He knew it was just a matter of time before she woke up and moved on to someone slightly less creepy than his friend. However, Puck was all about happy endings these days so he kept his opinions to himself and just let it play out.

His sister, Beth, had become an indispensible resource since Caleb was born. She wanted to help with the baby in every possible way and Rachel was glad to let her. Usually, Beth and Miriam would argue over who was taking care of the baby as soon as Rachel had walked into Miriam's house with Caleb in her arms. Rachel would just kiss her son on the head, whisper her love to him, and let herself out as the two Puckerman women fought it out in the living room. Caleb found the constant bickering funny. Their shrieking, instead of scaring him, made him grin and giggle a three-toothed grin. He was _definitely_ his father's son.

Glancing around the room, Rachel took her turn to speak. "I just want to tell you all how much we love you and thank you for all you've done for us." She stepped from Puck's embrace. "This last year has been a bit hectic. I think I imagined motherhood would be easier than it actually is. But I know that your love and friendship has made it all easier. And…" Rachel started to tear up and Puck rolled his eyes behind her. _Here she goes again. She is always crying about something. At least she can't blame the pregnancy this time!_ "I just wanted to tell you all that we will continue to need you, possibly more than ever...because I'm pregnant again."

There was a collective gasp throughout the room, followed by a squeak of happiness from Quinn. Miriam began rambling to Beth about daycare duty and Marcus beamed from where he stood. Rachel turned to face Puck, who stared after her, completely stunned. She slid up next to him and his arms immediately went around her waist, pulling her flush with his body. "Are you sure?"

She bobbed her head and said, "I went to the doctor yesterday. You're going to be a daddy again in eight months."

Puck bent down and brushed his lips over hers. "Just when I don't think I could love you or this family any possibly more, you go and get knocked up."

"So you're happy?" Rachel's eyes were questioning, even nervous.

"Happy? I'm fucking ecstatic!" He kissed her again, nearly delirious with joy as thoughts raced through his brain. One thought, amidst all the jumbled thoughts about the house being too small or hoping they had a girl, kept coming back. Settling on it, he contemplated it for a moment. _No, I am _definitely_ not anything like my father._

After kissing Rachel one more time, he lifted his head to address the group.

"So how 'bout we eat lunch and then dive into that birthday cake?"

**

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A/N: THE END.**

**A/N 2: Stay tuned for Chapter 1 of "All Roads Lead to You," my next Puckleberry fic. It will be coming your way VERY soon because I'm so excited about it that I can't see straight. It's a future fic that spans about five years of the lives of our favorite Jewish hotties! And it's going to be, by far, my most angsty fic EVER!!! **


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